Recess Monkey

The Final Funktier

© 2010 Recess Monkey, ASCAP

The Seattle trio is back with what is arguably their best album to date. Recess Monkey unleashes the funk on their seventh release, The Final Funktier. We get a quick intro and systems check via “Lift Off!” before blasting off with “Moon Boots.” “Science Fair” should foster the love of science in kids everywhere. And then there’s one of the most impressive tracks, “Ukulalien,” a funk song about a ukulele-playing alien—that’s right, a funk song with a ukulele. The Final Funktier is filled with space-themed songs that will have the entire family strutting around the house. The average pop artist would sound pretty stale after seven albums in almost as many years, but Recess Monkey isn’t slowing down, and each release is better than the last. Bottom line: This album is lots of fun(k).

Justin Roberts

Jungle Gym

© 2010 Justin Roberts, BMI

Justin Roberts has a pretty firm foothold in the world of kindie rock, and his latest release, Jungle Gym, solidifies it even further. This new album is pop-rock goodness to a tee. The first song to whet our aural appetite (“We Go Duck”) is all about that great rainy-day, no-recess-today game, Duck, Duck, Goose. “Gym Class Parachute” is another tune about a classic elementary-school game, and both songs have catchy hooks. Roberts kicks up the tempo with the pop-punk inspired “Obsessed By Trucks,” sung from the perspective of a child whose brother is fascinated by the four-wheeled behemoths. Like most family music out now, multiple generations can thoroughly enjoy Justin Roberts’ most recent venture into kindie pop music.