Thursday, December 16, 2010

Top 50 Kids' DVDs

The folks at NYICFF and GKIDS.tv have put together a list of what they consider the best fifty DVDs for youngsters. I skimmed through it and saw some titles I definitely would include in such a list of my own and many others that I haven't yet seen or haven't even heard of. The international scope is impressive and it's a list well worth keeping on hand (with Netflix links conveniently provided).

Friday, December 3, 2010

Christmas with Milkshake

I think I've got a few regular listeners out there, and you will know that although I don't frequently write about kids' music here I am an inveterate fan of Milkshake, one of the most sophisticated and fun bands in the industry. The past two weeks I've started using their newest album "Great Day" (which got them a Grammy nomination) to get my six-year-old out of bed in the mornings and actually eating her breakfast, instead of just staring glazed-over at the food in front of her. What surprised me, though, was that a couple days ago my 14-month-old was dancing on the floor to "Statue of Me," a trick she's repeated with other songs every day, including this morning.



Well, I coincidentally received their newsletter this week as well, with the announcement that, at the request of fans, they're working on a Christmas album for 2011. They couldn't get it all done for this season, but they have completed a single--and a video--called "Christmas in Baltimore." Check it out on their YouTube channel. I like the dirty Super-8 look of this; it really goes well with the quiet of the music and the peaceful sub/urban feel of the city we see in the footage. Maybe just a few more shots of the city would be nice, but the feel is still really nice. I was actually down in Baltimore two Christmas seasons ago--my then four-year-old saw Santa there on the harbor, rather than at Macy's here in New York--and it was fabulous, if cold. It's nice to see the city get its own carol.

The band also has some gigs in the northeast and radio appearances this month; check out all the news on their website and Facebook page.