Music Review: “Yo Gabba Gabba”
Rating: 65
Parents go through the gauntlet on children’s entertainment, and after a few years of separating the educational food pyramid of options from the sugar-coated fat bombs, a few things become clear. If it looks and sounds condescending, skip it. If it seems designed to indoctrinate your toddler into the malevolent maelstrom of modern marketing, hang on to your wallet. And if it makes parents jump out of their skin every time it lands in the music player or on television, it’s probably the equivalent of un-reading a book.
The first song collection from Nick Jr.’s “Yo Gabba Gabba!” doesn’t reach the level of They Might Be Giants’ “Here Come the 123’s,” a must-have for adults and children, but the ingredients are there. The show is a great place to see first-rate indie-pop bands playing for the small set: The Shins, the Postmarks, Shiny Toy Guns and Cornelius all appeared recently. This disc features a ton of filler from DJ Lance Rock and show’s various fuzzy creatures, but a few glimmers of goodness lie therein.
The Roots’ sweetly soulful “Lovely, Love My Family” and Tahiti 80’s “Train Ride” will show up on adults’ iPod playlists, and Mark Kozelek of Sun Kil Moon and Red House Painters delivers a “Bedtime Lullaby” that is almost preternaturally beautiful. Hip-hop clown prince Biz Markie hits with “Biz’s Beat of the Day,” but while the Ting Tings turn in an energetic cover of Altered Images’ “Happy Birthday,” the original is vastly superior. A mixed bag, but as the lead track from Lance Rock implies, “Yo Gabba Gabba!” is more “Party in My Tummy” than stomachache.
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