Music Is... Awesome! Vol. 4

Audio Mixer: Cameron Webb.
Recording information: Sizzle Me This Studio.
Editor: Adam Deibert.
Illustrator: Parker Jacobs.
The fourth installment in the Music Is...Awesome! series put together by the folks at Yo Gabba Gabba! is another wonderfully cute collection of songs that focuses on teaching kids lessons on how to live a good, fun life, and wants them to get up and dance at the same time. Short songs performed by the Yo Gabba Gabba! characters are sprinkled among tracks by big-name indie rock and pop bands like Metric, Belle & Sebastian, and Peter Bjorn & John, legends like George Clinton and Biz Markie, and some nice surprises (Japanese 8-bit group YMCK, the re-formed-just-for-this Rocket from the Crypt.) The songs are unfailingly bright and chipper, written by the team behind the show (except in the case of Belle & Sebastian's "You Can Do It If You Try") and delivered with just the right amount of wide-eyed innocence by the bands. While there are some undeniable musical highlights (RTTC's storming blast of good-time punk "He's a Chef," Cut Copy's "Fantastic Voyage," the Bird and the Bee's incredibly important "Cover Your Mouth"), the entire experience is top-notch children's music that should appeal to both ankle-biters and their parents. Especially if they are tired of kid's music that insults their intelligence and is the musical equivalent of sucking on a pacifier. Once again, the team behind Yo Gabba Gabba! exposes all age groups to positive messages and a wide range of well-written and performed music that will make you smile and dance, and that is definitely awesome! ~ Tim Sendra