Because of my job, I get the chance to read School Library Journal on a regular basis and loved their article last year about new kids’ music (www.schoollibraryjournal.com/article/CA6456383.html?q=kids+cds). Although I love the children’s singer Laurie Berkner, she can be a little too folksy at times, so I wanted to branch out. One of the bands that the SLJ article glowed about was the Jellydots. I think it even compared them to the Beatles. Well, I took a listen to their MySpace page shortly after I read that review and added them to my MySpace page because I really enjoyed the sound. It’s taken me a while to get their “Hey You Kids!” album, but I spotted it at the local library recently and had to bring it home with me. It is good. And not just in a kiddie way.

The basics
The Jellydots is a three*-man band comprised of Doug Snyder (guitars, lead and backing vocals), Gray Parsons (drums, percussion), and Shawn Jones (bass). (*The band has evolved and fluxed and on their latest album is a four-man band.) “Hey You Kids!” is their second album, which was released in 2006, and is geared toward kids ages 6-12. The band has a new 12-song album out called Changing Skies, which I’ve read is geared more toward older children and teens.

Other than the School House Rocks favorite, “Three Is a Magic Number,” all of the songs on this album were written either by Doug Snyder alone or in collaboration with one of his then-pint-sized music students. The songs are definitely rock ‘n’ roll, but there’s a lot of variety within the album, and even within each song. There are tunes that start out heavy and mellow out toward the middle and others that have a sort-of ska polka beat. It’s very eclectic.

Track list
1. Bicycle
2. Mr. Cookie
3. Hey You Kids!
4. Lake Rules
5. Mister Gloom
6. I’m Not Ugly (You’re Not Either)
7. Quite Naturally
8. Race Cars Go
9. Three Is a Magic Number
10. All of the People
11. Ralph the Cat
12. Captain Sleep
13. My Blanket

My thoughts
I had heard several of the songs from this album on the Jellydots’s MySpace page including “Mr. Cookie,” “Three Is a Magic Number,” and “Captain Sleep,” all of which I loved from the first time I heard them. Honestly, if these melodies were matched with different lyrics, I’d think I was listening to an adult alternative band, and a pretty good one at that. Maybe a little garage-sounding, but still good.

Although the album is geared to kids ages 6-12, my three-year-old musical connoisseur loves it. Her favorite song is “Race Cars Go,” which I would’ve never guessed. Coming from someone who once wore flannel and black boots, I have to say it’s much heavier than the other songs on the album and has a pretty cool guitar intro. The topic, as you can guess, is race cars and how they need gas to go. I was sure it was too boyish for my little pretty-in-pink princess, but she bobs and moshes to it. Her other favorites include the lullaby “My Blanket,” which is heartwrenchingly sweet, and the fun and lively ballad “Bicycle,” about the joys of riding a bike, whether as a kid or at 31.

I don’t think there’s one song on the album that I don’t like. Some are a little less catchy, like “Mr. Gloom,” but I’ve found myself singing parts of all of them at one point or another since I checked it out of the library about three weeks ago. Some of the lyrics are poignant, some just quirky fun. “Mr. Cookie” is hard not to sing along with. It’s got a nice polka beat that has an almost punkish ska-ness to it with its percussive kazoo and quirky lyrics about how a cookie melts into goo and needs to be replaced.

The title track opens with an almost Latin guitar beat with a heavy bass throughout and even some bongos. The lyrics of this song about friendship and sharing and being a kid are thoughtful and touching.

“The world gets big in a few years/
Friendships grow/
So do your peers/
You’ll go far/
No matter where you are/
If you take care/
of people everywhere”

“Hey now boy/Don’t pull her hair
Just because she scratched you/
Sure don’t make it fair.”

“Lake Rules” is one of the most eclectic songs on the album. It has this cool counting chorus and a really nice bass that makes it reggae-ish. There’s a “Stayin’ Alive” bit in the middle, a triangle, and even something reminiscent of that weird electronic echo sound made famous by Peter Frampton.

There are at least five songs on this album that I would call my favorites. It’s really a solid production.

Overall
Head over to www.myspace.com/wearethejellydots, and take a listen for yourself (“Bicycle” is the only song off this album that’s currently on the site. But “Sad Robot” is pretty cool). See if you don’t agree that this kid’s band really rocks.

And if you’re not ready to commit to buying the album, do what I did and head over to your local library. I often check out music from the library to give it a test run. It saves me money and I get to listen to a wide range of genres I might not ever sample otherwise. And after you do, head over to laurashrti’s National Library Week Write-off so you can praise the excellent music collection your local library lends freely.

Thank you lambchops for adding this album to the database!

Recommended: Yes

Great Music to Play While: With Family