In our house, we like music a lot. Our family favourites include Raffi, David Francey, Vampire Weekend, Great Big Sea, the 3 Bs (Bach, Beethoven, Brahms), The Good Lovelies, The Lumineers, and The Beatles.
Right now, here are some selections we can’t do without:
E and AB and I fell in love with this album while my Hubbibi was working evening shifts for three weeks in a row. We listened to it basically every night as dinner music. Our favourite song is called “Harold T. Wilkins, or How to Wait for a Very Long Time,” but we call it “Sad to Say Shay!” because that’s what it sounds like during E’s favourite part, near the end of the song (about 3:10). (It’s actually “They sail the same strait”.) Now even Baby AB sings “Say say SAY!” Check out these lovely young ‘uns.
Then there’s Mika – The Origin of Love.
We’ve always been Mika fans, and when I discovered (thanks to Rdio) that he’d gestated and birthed another album right when I was doing the same with my daughter (released September 17, 2012), I was very excited. The album did not disappoint. It’s one delightfully-poppy-and-subtly-complex song after another.* There’s one we especially like because it’s about an Emily, and we love an Emily. There are a bunch of great songs in French (Mika/Michael lived in France from age one to age nine). Overall, it’s unique and epic, and most importantly, it makes all of us dance.
I’m pleased as punch that my kids both have a sense of rhythm and some rad moves. (All that pregnant bellydancing ain’t for nothing.) And it tickles me that AB automatically bops around when she hears music, since she gets that DIRECTLY FROM ME. That, and a disproportionate passion for popcorn.
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*Unfortunately, there are a few wee lyrics that aren’t fully appropriate for kids… I’m just hoping hard that E never latches onto singing “I Only Love You When I’m Drunk”. So far he still has no idea what words most singers are actually singing… and gosh darnit, this one is just one of the funnest, catchiest songs ever.
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Fan-tas-tic!! The BEST! I love it! It’s better than Teddy Bear the porcupine!
Oh, dear. That video of the niblings made my heart swell and nearly burst. In a good way! I love them SO MUCH that I can barely imagine how much you do.
Exactly. I can barely imagine how much I love them myself.
Also… I’m not saying they’re derivative, but that Harold T. Wilkins song sounds kind of like Clap Your Hands and Say Arcade… I like it.
WOW. You are like the coolest mom ever managing to eke out time to make these amazing videos to treasure for all time!
I loved watching the E progression from frantic spastic dance moves to the ‘suave’ future “Dancing with the Stars” star he appears to be now! lol Way to go E!
love to you!
C
Thank you, C! (“Eke” is the right word. Finding time seems to happen less and less…) And yes – isn’t he SO SUAVE?? He makes me so proud. Love to you too!
OEMGEEE! No, I totally hadn’t seen this before. I somehow missed it. So I’m glad you mentioned it on the weekend so I could go back and find it. That spazztastic bit at the end is the absolute best.
At about 1minute, is E dancing to Give Me a Raisin? These moves look a lot like the rad moves I have on another video where he’s dancing to that song, especially the way they sort of ramp up – though the moves seem to have gotten more sophisticated, wow! And in my version he is wearing a bandanna and it ends in tragedy (caused by the edge of the microwave stand. Sad dancing in small spaces).
I believe it’s “I Like to Move It”.
Also too: I love Fanfarlo and Mika’s new album but only listen to them at your house so now they totally remind me of being there! And dancing with the niblings.
Also plus too: I now have footage of AB singin’ Wheels on the Bus. And I’m not afraid to use it.
Every time “All I Wanna Do Is Make You Happy” comes on, I think of you. Oh, and “Emily” too. 🙂
Did you know that Mr. Lonely is on the Alan Doyle tour?? 😀