If you thought was South Sudan is the newest nation, now we have Kepiland. Though it may not be the biggest country, and the World Bank and World Trade Organization might find the economics a bit unusual (the money is love, the money is hugs, you get paid in high-fives), it seems to be a fun place for Kids.
If you don't know who Kepi is, pick up some Groovie Ghoulies now. Halloween is almost upon us and they embodied Halloween as well as about any rock group I know. You know, Ramones with monsters and UFOs. But this is his first venture in the world of childrens music. And I really like this as an album for kiddies.
I think that children's music is akin to kids movies. Kids want to see a movie that's interesting, but ultimately its parents that buy the tickets. So its a plus if Brad Pitt is the voice of the surfer penguin, or Britney Spears is the dyslexic wallaby. Kids could care less about this marketing tactic--the sad effect of this is probably never going to be another Mel Blanc. And its an easy paycheck for the actors. So anyway, on some level you want to take your kid to a movie, but you need a hook.
That can be evident in shopping for kids music. You want your kids to be exposed to music, and to develop an appreciation for the art form. There is a tendency to project your tastes onto your kids. But kids are kids, and you don't want them to grow up too fast.
I'm happy to say that Kepi successfully walks the tightrope between hipsterdom and honestly making a kids album. Because the emphasis of the music is that it really is for kids. Its a pretty sweet album that would be okay for toddlers even. If you are familiar with the Groovie Ghoulies, you know that he has a great ear for a hook. And the songs are goofy, touching, and have elements of wisdom, while hearkening back to his music for older folks. To put it succinctly, its a sweet little album, and not too long for the short attention spans of youngsters.
So you have tunes for kids like I Can Talk to the Animals, and the Country stomp of Thunder & Lightning. I can definitely see kids jumping up and down to the song Spazz Out! or Do the Kangaroo!
As far as adults go he does a reprise of the classic tune The Beast with 5 Hands, which is actually a bit of a love song to a girlfriend. He also sings the tune Dee Dee Taught Me How to Count which reference I'm sure needs no explanation. I picked up a Ramones for Kids record, which was okay, but I felt leaned a little to far toward adults rather than the actual target audience.
A Little Bit Weird is a nice song which preaches against conformity, that its okay to be yourself because everybody is different in their own ways. Thunder and Lightning is a song about not being afraid of bad weather. I really like the song Moonbeam--its basically lullaby in the style of Buddy Holly a great song.
In my estimation the hit single though is Days That End in Y, an extremely hook laden kiddie masterpiece. Basically a Friday I'm in Love for the little ones.
And of course there is the Kepi artwork which only adds to the quality of the release. This is a pretty good little kids records that I would definitely recommend.
Here's the Groovie Ghoulie version of The Beast with 5 Hands!
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