Monthly Archives: March 2010

CD Review: The Rubinoos, “Biff-Boff-Boing!”

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Here, power pop fans, is what They Might Be Giants hath wrought.

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The Rubinoos have been around for decades, making solid records to tons of critical acclaim and little in the way of sales — a situation not unlike the one TMBG found themselves in when they decided to make the jump to the kids’ market, a.k.a. “paydirt.” This is not to say the Rubinoos’ debut children’s CD, Biff-Boff-Boing!, is a crass, commercially oriented move — just that, like TMBG, the Rubinoos are so ideally suited to younger audiences that you can’t help but wonder why it took them so long to get here.

The Rubinoos have always occupied a spot on the more candy-coated end of the power pop spectrum, so they’re a more natural fit than, say, Cheap Trick; their music has never had much of an “adult” edge anyway. (This is, after all, the group that recorded “I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend.”) What this means for Biff-Boff-Boing! is that it doesn’t always feel appreciably different from anything else in the band’s catalog — and that’s a compliment. For instance, the opening track is a kazoo-and-children’s-choir-assisted cover of “Witch Doctor” that’s all kinds of awesome, because the band consists of seasoned professionals who both know how to play and have a deep understanding of this type of music. They aren’t playing it because it’s silly and they think that’s what kids will like; they’re playing it because this is what takes them back to their own childhoods, and it’s fun for them. It’s a crucial difference — it’s why Boing! includes covers of “Sugar Sugar,” “Peanut Butter,” and “Boris the Spider” (along with the more obscure but still terrific “Rockin’ in the Jungle”), and it’s why those covers are fun instead of obnoxious. These guys get it.

Of course, it isn’t like “it” is rocket science; that’s part of what makes so much children’s music such a drag — too many performers waste time pandering when all they need to do is play music that anyone can enjoy. They may throw in a few too many silly voices for your liking, but for the most part, “music anyone can enjoy” is exactly what the Rubinoos serve up here.

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If you’re a longtime fan of the band, Biff-Boff-Boing! is the perfect gateway for your little ones. Six months from now, play ’em the band’s first two ’70s records; for now, shake the car with a family dance to “Dumb It Down” and “You Can’t Roller Skate in a Buffalo Herd.”

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Blu-ray/DVD Reviews: “Castle in the Sky,” “My Neighbor Totoro,” “Kiki’s Delivery Service,” and “Ponyo”

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His name is spoken in reverent tones by animation lovers, but as far as the wider American marketplace is concerned, Hayao Miyazaki barely exists; his 2009 release, Ponyo, probably played to fewer theaters than the asinine Fly Me to the Moon, and Ponyo received far and away the biggest U.S. push of any film in Miyazaki’s distinguished career.

Now that I’ve lamented Miyazaki’s low commercial profile in the States, this is the spot where I’d traditionally take a shot at Disney and its marquee-crowding, female psyche-twisting princesses — but empires aren’t always evil, and as a case in point, here’s a lovely, Disney-sponsored series of Miyazaki reissues, crowned with Ponyo‘s Blu-ray debut.

If you’ve never watched a Miyazaki film, it’s probably important to note that while not all of his movies are appropriate for young children, they’re all childlike in some way; he tends to favor young protagonists, for one thing, and then there’s the matter of his endlessly inventive cast of supporting creature characters. Watching a Miyazaki movie, you’re never sure whether you’re seeing the jaw-droppingly beautiful work of an unbridled genius or just the byproduct of an awful lot of drugs. Either way, they’re all enjoyable — all classics in their own way. Now, on top of getting Ponyo on Blu-ray, consumers can own expanded versions of Castle in the Sky (1986), My Neighbor Totoro (1988), and Kiki’s Delivery Service (1989). Continue reading →

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CD Review: Rani Arbo and Daisy Mayhem, “Ranky Tanky”

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I’ll get right to the point: I love this album. A lot. I’d never heard Rani Arbo and Daisy Mayhem before Ranky Tanky arrived in my mailbox, but they’ve made themselves a fan for life, and I’m seeking out their albums for grown-ups as soon as I finish writing this review.

You know what to expect as soon as you lay eyes on the brightly colored, hand-drawn look of the album cover, and when you flip open the CD, those first impressions are reinforced with a picture of the band riding on a trolley and wielding acoustic guitars, fiddles, ukuleles, and wide open smiles. A few inches to the right, and you’re looking at liner notes that include instrumental credits for bottles, jawharp, kalimba, kazoo, harmonium, and some truly weird stuff, like balloon and veggie baster. You get the picture, right? This here’s a back porch kindie jamboree.

Which is all well and good, but all the fingerpicking and fiddling in the world can’t cover up for crummy songs; happily, Rani Arbo and Daisy Mayhem have lined up a towering stack of venerable standards (such as “The Green Grass Grows All Around”) and clever covers (The Meters’ “They All Ask’d for You,” John Gorka’s “Branching Out,” Tom Petty’s “Wildflowers,” Renee & Jeremy’s “It’s a Big World”) to go with more obviously kid-friendly fare (“If You Want to Sing Out, Sing Out,” “Purple People Eater”). The arrangements are solid, the playing is impeccable, the production is clear and warm, and the vocals beam in like sunshine on a spring afternoon. What else can I say? I love this album, and I think you — and I guess more importantly, your kids — will love it too. But don’t just take my word for it — hear some samples here. (Then go buy the darn thing.)

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