I can remember quite well back to my days of youth listening to children’s albums (they were tapes back then). I am sure I could still belt out a rough sketch of ‘Baby Beluga’ or ‘Bananaphone.’ I remember going to see ‘Sharon, Lois, & Bram’ at the Indianapolis Children’s Museum (the largest in the world no less). However, children’s music was always kind of odd for me. I can remember happily listening to children’s tunes on Nickelodeon but I also started watching MTV when I was about 6 or 7. This was when they still played almost exclusively music videos. There was an odd likeness between these two channels. The kids songs on Nickelodeon (i.e. ‘The Cat Came Back’ and pretty much everything on Sharon, Lois & Bram) were always coordinated with cartoons or video essentially making them into the children’s equivalent of MTV music videos. The real counterpoint was the child like nature of a lot of MTV music videos. I remember being enthralled with ‘They Might Be Giants’ and ‘Ah Ha’ music videos. So I have always been a big believer in the Disney and Pixar philosophy that just because its for kids doesn’t mean it has to be dull or simplistic. The converse also being true. Music listeners often time forget that even ‘adult’ tunes can be quite whimsical and even… childish. Therefore, enter indie rock children’s CD’s. ‘For The Kids 3‘ is clearly not the first stab at this (it is 3 after all) but it does an excellent job.

The album which hits stores on October 2nd from Nettwerk Records, the home of artists such as Avril Lavigne, Bare Naked Ladies, Did, and more indie acts like The Pipettes and The Submarines (all very Canadian), is a bit of a mixed bag. Overall it is a good children’s album that isn’t overly simplistic and makes you realize that Belle & Sebastian, Yo La Tengo, The Decemberists, and others are not too far off from a kids’ tune every now and then. However, this is quite literally the point. The album is bursting with ‘indie’ talent done up in the guise of kiddie minstrels. You have Bare Naked Ladies, Mates of State, Of Montreal, OAR, and Rogue Wave topping out the well known bands. However, the album is really stolen by tracks by some of the less known bands. Yes, Bare Naked Ladies really kill ‘The Other Day I Met A Bear’ but ‘The Submarines’ torpedo it with their glorious rendition of ‘My Darling Clementine.’ Another lesser known band, The Format, blows away the kids with ‘Does Your Cat Have a Moustache.’ It is the longest track by far and seems it might just barely captivate a very astute child, but its the quintessential example of indie-come-Raffi that one would expect on this album. The songs range from the very kid friendly (If You’re Happy And You Know It - Anathallo, No Hiding - Hem, or New Shoes - Blitzen Trapper) to the weirdly potty-mouthed and quite weak (The Lint Song - MC Lars or The Poopsmith Song - Over the Rhine). There are only a couple real stinkers that seem to be from the bigger names. OAR pumps out a lamely reggae ‘Itsy Bitsy Spider’ and Dar Williams turns out the seemingly personal ‘The Babysitter’s Here’ with its corny hippie morality that seems both lost on kids and the adult audience.

Overall it questionable whether or not the album is really for ‘The Kids’ or not. Some songs seem to really miss the target. But the ones that really hit home are undoubtedly songs that resonate with both little and ‘big’ kids. The real stretch for children’s listening seems to be the richness of the songs. Moby and Chrissi Poland, for example, beautifully harmonize on ‘Sleep So Very Long’ (a very un-Moby track) but will it resonate with the under 15 crowd? My guess is that it will, not with every child, but eventually it will. It seems like the kind of ancient MTV and Nickelodeon that is passively absorbed in youth but is only later appreciated for its staying power. Probably something they won’t appreciate until later… damn kids.