Hey Triplet Dad
 

Right now I have I'm from Barcelona in my car stereo. Any time I attempt to change this CD or listen to NPR or anything, I have two little protesters in the seats behind me that demand I put it back in. While the album is great, it is becoming too much of a good thing. Recently you started a thread on indie rock for kids. I was wondering if you or others could suggest some kid friendly albums and not just playlists that I could introduce my kids to. You know, whole CDs like I'm from Barcelona that are pretty clean and upbeat. They like a lot of Modest Mouse and other bands that I do as well, but I find myself routinely skipping past songs they either hate or that have lyrics I don't want them to hear.

Thanks!

I'm not the party to whom the question was addressed,
 

but check out They Might Be Giants, No! A tolerable kid's album.

I endorse this suggestion.

I'd also suggest anything by Strawberry Switchblade for kids.

Thanks. Though I am not looking for tolerable kid's music, but music for me that my kids would also like.

Oh, and I like your avatar. I am anti-tan.

if you can handle ska for more than a song or two get The Aquabats' first 2 CDs: The Return of the Aquabats and The Fury of the Aquabats. My kids also like Weezer's blue album and Cake's: Comfort Eagle and Prolonging the Magic. Just to name a few

The Aquabats are awesome. That is fun stuff.

That's a pretty good idea. A good friend of ours toured with the Aquabats the summer before his mission. I should be more familiar with them but I am not.

I think I had I'm From Barcelona on that old playlist. My kids loved "We're From Barcelona" and "Collection of Stamps." It is a great disc.

To answer your question, the simple and unfortunatel answer is no. There are very few discs that my kids like in the entirety, simply because most discs contain some slow songs....which tend to bore my kids quickly at this age. This is why I am making new mixes and playlists on a weekly basis. It has become a weekly Sunday afternoon ritual for me.....put on headphones, listen to some stuff, put something together, burn it for my wife to listen to in the house or car. Sometimes my wife will ask for a a theme, such as "all New Order," or "all stuff from movies." That makes it more fun for me, too. Now that i think about it, I think even I enjoy mixes more than listening to every album straight through (although there are many albums I love straight through, of course)

I really like the "mixed tape" approach because it exposes my kids to a wide varity of bands. If they like the song from a particular band, maybe I will expand it a bit to include a few more songs. Keep in mind that I also have to DJ for my wife, too, since she is listening to the music, as well. For example, through this gradual method, my wife has somewhat started to enjoy The Pixies. I started with "Here Comes your Man" because that one is a slam dunk....then I gradually expanded and now my wife likes "Wave of Mutilation." I promise that my wife never would have agreed to listen to The Pixies if I had started with a song called "Wave of Mutilation."

I certainly dont limit my kids to indie music. Growing up when I did, I will admit to enjoying a classic disco groove, I enjoy folk music, I enjoy classical, I LOVE old ska (Two Tone stuff) and some reggae, and I especially love 80s music.

Right now, my wife is enjoying a Mega 80s mix that I dug up from back in the day....it has almost 800 mp3s on a few discs....but it is pretty comprehensive. She enjoys singing along and then the kids get more into it, too when they hear or see mom singing along.

I agree that TMBG is a good band for kids. The No! disc is fun, but can get old. You can easily try self titled, Flood or Lincoln, as well. My kids love "Particle Man," "Shoehorn with Teeth," and "Everything Right is Wrong Again." Most of TMBG is silly and fun.

One disc that my kids CAN make it through almost in its entirety is "Bob Marley Legend," his greatest hits disc. Sadly, the one song they ALWAYS want to skip is perhaps his greatest song of all time...Redemption Song.

Another one they can make it through is Electric Version from The New Pornographers.

There are a few Erasure discs that have worked.

I would suggest abandoning hope for complete sessions with your kids and instead use their lack of focus to introduce them to new stuff. I think most young kids are not ready to sit down and listen to an entire album quite yet, but maybe my kids have ADD and are abnormal.

That being said, let me check this week and ask my wife what she has been spinning at home and on the road. Maybe I can come up with a few disc recommendations. Also, you should try that old playlist I posted. My kids loved it. If you burn it all to one disc, then it really is no different than listening to a single album.

landpoke I realize that you love John Elway, but please do not subject us all to that picture of him in your avatar.

So do you just buy single tracks off of iTunes and then burn them to a CD or do you have a massive collection of music that you sort through each week and pick and choose songs to burn? I guess the laziness factor has me looking first for a complete album that I can just order off of amazon. I am also old fashioned and appreciate the completeness of an album. For example, The Pixies to me are more of an album band than a singles band. Their music is best heard from track 1 until the end. They are an all-time favorite at the danisupial house.

Thanks for your response.