If you ever visit Barbes or Colson, you may have noticed that they have promoted the fun “kids” (really it’s for everyone) album Songs for Unconventional Creatures and companion book. It turns out it is a series and the latest is about Unconventional Vehicles. It might be even more fun (the others are Extraordinary People and Curious Constructions).
The album is out today and it is very clever. It has a strong 60’s vibe and does remind me of the Beatles (Yellow Submarine is an unconventional vehicle after all). I have no doubt that Michael Hearst is a Beatles fan. My kid, who is very picky about music and was skeptical of Cindi Lauper (how?) approved of the large variety songs on this album. It helps that a lot of them are very short — to match our kids short attention spans. There are 47 songs varying in lengths between 2.5 minutes and only 17 seconds. The songs topics include underwater battery-powered scooters, solar-powered race cars, pizza delivery drones, and a hot-air balloon shaped like the Cathedral of Saint Gall.
There are a lot of great vocal guest contributors to the album, including including Olivier Conan (Chicha Libre), Tanya Donelly (Belly, Throwing Muses), Neil Gaiman, Rachell Garniez, Claudia Gonson (The Magnetic Fields), Greta Gertler Gold, Darren Hanlon, Bill Janovitz (Buffalo Tom), Clare Muldaur, and Syd Straw (The Golden Palominos). Of course he got together a great group – this guy got Whoopi Goldberg to do voicework for his Songs For Fearful Flyers.
And there is a free full band show if you are reading this in time!
The book seems like a perfect gift for several adults I know (although you can pretend to give it to their kid).
Michael Hearst is possibly too cool for us. He has toured with The Magnetic Fields, performed with The Kronos Quartet at Carnegie Hall, and has appeared on such shows as NPR’s Fresh Air, A+E’s Breakfast With The Arts, and NBC’s The Today Show.
He is doing a solo online show with the New York Transit Museum on May 22nd.