With all the gadget talk going on around here lately I figured it was time to add some content about, well kids. Particularly kids music. There’s probably a stage in every dad’s life when he was hip and cool and went to concerts with mommy long before kids came along. There was drinking and loud guitars and generally good times.
Then came kids and kids music. For us having Carter just a year ago we already knew there was good kids music out there from They Might Be Giants and others. One 1990s indie artist to hit the kids market recently is Robert Schneider of Apples In Stereo fame. Well let’s be real, they weren’t really famous but if you’re my age you at least remember an album cover or two.
Robbert Bobbert and the Bubble Machine is a pretty darn good kids album though, and immensely more likable than Apples In Stereo’s work. I was pretty impressed with the lyrics during the first listen. Carter and I were on the floor in his room playing with blocks and books and he definitely started bopping along to the music.
Listening to the words I was surprised at how clever they were, yet still really, really easy to remember. That’s essential in children's music after all.
I mean how hard is “Tick Tock, Tick Tock, I am a clock. Ding, ding, dong singing my song. You can sing along” to remember? And it doesn’t get engrained in your head like an anvil either. At least it hasn’t yet. That’s mainly because most of the songs are pretty strong.
On “We R Super Heroes” I definitely hear some Matthew Sweet. It’s a lot of lush alt-pop and kid friendly lyrics. “Hey Little Puppy” is a send-up of classic 1950s rock. “Gravity” has odd sound effects and a really catchy chorus. Most songs are in the two-minute range too, to keep the short attention span of toddlers.
Carter isn’t paying a ton of attention to music yet, but I think this is definitely a CD we can bring in the car with us and mommy and daddy won’t be bored.
Check out Robbertbobbert.com to listen to the CD and you can sign up for a free MP3.
