Monday Morning Smile: "Down by the Salley Gardens" - Yale Whiffenpoofs

Miss Mary Mack had her first school choir concert of the year last week. 90-odd kids singing with no small degree of talent. Hearing her sing in that choir made me happy for many reasons, not the least of which was that I'd heard her singing this song through the house for the past month and so I was glad to hear it in polished, choral form.

My favorite song her choir sang was "Down by the Salley Gardens," which is based on an 1889 poem by W.B. Yeats with a vocal setting by Benjamin Britten:

Down by the salley gardens my love and I did meet;
She passed the salley gardens with little snow-white feet.
She bid me take life easy, as the leaves grow on the tree;
But I, being young and foolish, with her did not agree.

In a field by the river my love and I did stand,
And on my leaning shoulder she placed her snow-white hand.
She bid me take love easy, as the grass grows on the weirs;
But I was young and foolish, and now am full of tears.

As you might expect, hearing these words from a bunch of middle schoolers put a different spin on the text. But Britten's setting (and his piano accompaniment) is so very lovely and made me smile. Wistfully, perhaps, but smile nonetheless.

Also: so short -- totally memorizable. Now to track down chords.

Anyway, this is one of the best versions I could find online. It omits the piano and so isn't quite the version I heard, but the melody is the same.

Yale Whiffenpoofs - "Down by the Salley Gardens" [YouTube]

Oh, what the heck, here's a bonus version, recorded many years ago. It's a solo artist, but hews much more closely to Britten's piano-aided setting.

Nicolai Gedda, accompanied by Gerald Moore - "Down by the Salley Gardens" [YouTube]

Video: "Say Hello to My Hippo" - Todd McHatton

I don't want to say too much about this psychedlic animated video for "Say Hello to My Hippo," the first video from Todd McHatton's Galactic Champions of Joy so as not to ruin it for you if you've never heard the song.

Suffice it to say, I think if Justin Roberts' imaginary rhino were to run into Todd McHatton's hippo at a party, I think he (the rhino) might soon find himself looking at his cellphone and making up imaginary text messages from an imaginary friend in an imaginary emergency and head for the door.

Todd McHatton - "Say Hello to My Hippo" [YouTube]

Three Circus Songs for Kids: Mates of State / Kitty Wolf / Ralph's World

Why not? Here are a couple of circus-related songs for kids. Neither of them are "Miss Mary Mack," nor do they feature elephants jumping over the fence, but your kids may enjoy 'em. In any case, watching them is free, unlike your local Cirque du Soleil show.

The first video comes from Mates of State with another song from TV show Yo Gabba Gabba!. It's called "Circus Town," and while the embedded video is merely an extended excerpt, it's fun enough to include here.

Mates of State - "Circus Town" (excerpt from Yo Gabba Gabba! [YouTube]

The second video is from family band (literally) Kitty Wolf with "Circus Song" off their album Jump the Tracks.

Kitty Wolf - "Circus Song" [YouTube]

And, hey, why not a bonus video from Ralph's World?

Ralph's World - "The Rhyming Circus" [YouTube]

Review Two-Fer: Mr. Richard / Roy Handy and the Moonshot

Folks like Justin Roberts or Recess Monkey aren't the only kids' musicians who can write a musical earworm that will get stuck in your kid's (and, by extension, your) head. Here are a couple albums by lesser-known artists with their own fair share of hooks.

Florida's Mr. Richard (Richard Peeples) has released his fourth album, Backyard Astronauts, which continues his lo-fi indie-pop work often filtered through the perspective of the wisecracking older brother (Sample lyric from "5-Second Rule": "A pizza slice landed right-side up / If I can just grab it fast enough / I count out loud one two three four / And hope it doesn't taste like floor"). And while he'll write a song making fun of not using "The Good Towels," he's occasionally sweet (on "Birthday Wish," the narrator wishes it was his "birthday everyday," in part so his best friend won't have to move). Peeples' music will remind listeners of R.E.M. and Jonathan Richman, which are not bad musicians to echo. (I also particularly enjoy the bass work on tracks like "Saturday Morning Cereal Bowl").

You can sample the music from the 31-minute album here (and download "Garbage Man" here). The album is most appropriate for kids ages 4 through 9. It's his best album yet.

If Mr. Richard takes a jangly-pop approach from the '70s to his songs, on his second album Holy Cow!, Gerry Stanek AKA Roy Handy and the Moonshot draws from the rawk of the '60s, with a lot of British Invason influence. Like Mr. Richard, however, Stanek has a bit of a sarcastic streak that will enamor him to the young wiseacres (and perhaps their wiseacre parents). The title track is the most bracing opening song of the year (and my favorite on the album), but if you're looking for a gentler, almost wistful tune, I'd suggest "Tilt-A-Whirl," about going to the local fair and going on the titular ride.

You can listen to "Holy Cow" and the '50s harmonizing on "When It's Time to Go" here (or listen to samples at Amazon or iTunes). The 16-minute EP is most appropriate for kids ages 3 through 7 and shows continued growth from his enjoyable debut I'm Gonna Be (Your Best Friend).

Neither album is without flaws -- Backyard Astronauts could use a little more polish and lyrical tightening, while the songs Holy Cow! could probably be fleshed out just a little more (he's not the Ramones). But those are concerns more for the middle-aged parent who might have to listen to the disks repeatedly at the request of their kids who'll want to play them a lot. If anything, these albums prove that if you can't find kids music with a bunch of catchy melodies, you're not looking hard at all. Recommended.

Video: "Tofurky Song" - Joanie Leeds and the Nightlights

While I'd argue that this isn't quite the classic kids' music Thanksgiving song we've all been waiting for, Joanie Leeds' "Tofurky Song" is probably as close as we're gonna get to the classic kids' music vegetarian Thanksgiving song we've all been waiting for. Cute turkeys.

Joanie Leeds and the Nightlights - "Tofurky Song" [YouTube]