SOUNDTRACK: BARENAKED LADIES-Snacktime (2008).
The Barenaked Ladies have always been like naughty kids. So, it seems almost too obvious for them to make a kids’ album. But almost as if they want to continue being naughty, this kids album is quite smart, not just a collection of cute kids songs.
There’s a wild mix of very specifically kiddie-aimed tracks and other amusing pop cultural commentary (or jokes from kiddies past). For instance, the opening track “789” plays on the wonderful joke of why was 6 afraid of 7.
There’s also a lot of the more delicate sounding BNL songs that came to dominate their later albums: “Pollywog in a Bog” is a cute upbeat little ditty, “Here Come the Geese” is a pretty typical Kevin Hearn track (even his adult songs sound like children’s songs).
But I think the highlight comes from when Ed Robertson and Steven Page join forces. Robertson is the king of the goofy guys and Steven Page’s songs are always wonderful, but typically less silly. So “I Don’t Like” is a serious look at things we don’t like (salmon, heights), while the fantastic “Crazy ABCs” is a funny and clever look at words that start with silent letters: “D is for djinn E is for Euphrates F is for Fohn etc.”
I also enjoy Roberston’s solo songs like “There’s a Word for That.” Robertson is clearly a fan of wordplay, and this song highlights that: “There’s a word for that…little dented skin between my upper lip and nose.”
My favorite song of the disc is “The Canadian Snacktime Trilogy.” All kinds of famous (and non famous) people tell us what their favorite snacks are. The contributors are listed here, and they include: Geddy Lee, barbecue potato chips; Lyle Lovett, watermelon; Martin Tielli, olives; Gordon Downie, peanut butter & crackers; “Weird Al” Yankovic, honey roasted peanuts and Gordon Lightfoot, pasta. What fun!
It’s an overall enjoyable album for kids, full of mostly hyper songs and sounds quite a lot like a typical BNL effort.
[READ:February 27, 2010] Salt Water Taffy: The Truth About Dr. True
I have yet to mention the website for this series. So, now I’m mentioning it, and I’m also mentioning Matt Loux’s page too. It’s a great resource for all of the books and has many sample images and pages.
I adore this children’s graphic novel series. Each story adds amazing depth to this seemingly quaint seaside town. Eleven year-old Jack and 8-year-old Benny are on vacation at a boring seaside town. But mysterious things are always coming up when the kids go snooping.
In this case Benny uncovers an ancient (empty) bottle of Dr. True’s magic elixir. (I love that Jack sneers at Benny for digging in a garbage pile, when he would have really loved to be digging in it, too). Dr True is the ancestor of True’s Taffy shop.
While this history of the island is unfolding, we also hear the history of another famous island resident: Captain Holister. The captain is Chowder Bay’s real hero, with a statue of him erected in the town square and everything. The boys’ favorite new friend, fisherman Angus is directly related to him. (more…)
I Just Read About That... 