Meanwhile, The Presidents of the United States of America front man Chris Ballew built a post-grunge career as Caspar Babypants, author of such silliness as “Bubble Rap,” where he voices a rapping bubble on his 15th kids’ LP Keep It Real! (2018). A year prior, Barenaked Ladies covered the other end of that equation with Snacktime!, which includes a high-concept song trilogy where Canadian celebrities like Jason Priestley list their favorite munchies. Enter Kimya Dawson (of Juno soundtrack fame ), whose penchant for primitive folk jams and scatalogical humor makes her exactly the right artist to deliver a family album all about farts and poop-2008’s Alphabutt. For more fundamentals, 2012’s OzoKidz by Ozomatli packs mini lessons on subjects like “Germs,” “Trees,” and “Water” into nutritious Latin rock-rap nuggets.īut no childhood is complete without a healthy dose of absurdity. For arithmetic, consider the eerie rasp of Johnny Cash, whose “One and One Make Two” (on 1975’s The Johnny Cash Children’s Album ) offers double entendre for parents. The annals of kids’ tunes made by major musicians are full of educational anthems. Marley has one of those songs on his album too, but in 2009, They Might Be Giants raised the stakes by making an entire LP called Here Come the ABCs -complete with a cut called “Flying V”-devoted to the subject. You could easily mistake Ziggy Marley’s 2007 album Family Time, with social justice-minded songs featuring Paul Simon and Willie Nelson, for just another solid reggae release-except it’s set to kid-friendly melodies.įar less likely to appear on an album meant for adults? A guide to the alphabet. Of course, self-acceptance and love for humankind aren’t unusual themes in grown-up music either. On July 12, Backstreet Boy Howie D drops Which One Am I?, a family album with songs ( “No Hablo Español” ) inspired by the identity politics of growing up mixed race in America. That was as true in 1959-when Pete Seeger released Folk Songs for Young People, full of lovely proletariat ditties like “The Farmer Is the Man (Who Feeds Us All)”-as it is in 2019. We typically think of “dad rock” as the tragically unhip music our fathers love, but what happens when the artists themselves become fathers or mothers, or start making songs meant for toddlers to hear? Do they lose their edge, or just find new angles for innovation? After giving Martin’s an album a listen and scouring our catalog for other albums of kids’ songs by musicians not known for family fare, we’re certain it’s the latter.įor one, sociopolitical uncertainty can be a serious motivator when it comes to passing values to the next generation. Certainly that was the case for Walter Martin, who, after his wife became pregnant, went from one of the most respected indie bands in New York City, The Walkmen, to a solo album of all-ages songs with names like “If I Were a Tiger.” Suddenly, everything’s all about shaping a tiny human’s future. Even for rock stars, having a child changes things.
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