Four guys: Claude, Carlos, Martin, and Rodolphe.
Influences: South American (Carlos is originally from Chile), the Beatles, Hendrix, Alice Cooper, Yes, Genesis.
Instruments: electric guitar, mandolin, kazoo, accordion, charango (a traditional South American stringed instrument).
Put them all together. Result: Canada's only rock band for kids. Incredibly high energy fun, called "U2 for kids".
I love this album. Like all of the best stuff for kids, it draws on a bunch of musical styles that will appeal to adults as well. The title song, "In The Basement", has a
hard driving, Beatles-garage-band sound, but is completely upbeat and fun:
Where can you go when you want to have fun?
In the basement, down in the basement
Where can you go when you want to laugh and dance?
In the basement, down in the basement
When you invite your friends
That's where you can play until midnight
Yeah yeah yeah yeah
This album is distinctive for its healthy dose of South American sounds. Our current favorite is "Volando", which includes a few Spanish words mixed in with the French. It's a beautiful song, but subtle and therefore difficult to really render into English. A child imagines himself flying in his dreams:
He is gone, flying, like a bird in the sky
But I know he will return when I sleep again
I can climb in the clouds
When the sun rises, it takes off in the sky
Reminding me that it's just a dream
Everyone knows pirates are hot these days (the nice, goofy pirates, not the nasty real ones) and "Les Pirates" will feed your need for good pirate sounds. Les Petites Tounes sound like they're having a blast as they grunt and growl pirate-style.
The captain has a hook, and a parrot friend
(The pirates, the pirates)
They frighten sailors with their hideous flag
(The pirates, the pirates)
We are the pirates
We're really scary
We steal jewels and treasure
And all the candy
Check out some of the video clips of Les Petites Tounes clowning around on their official website. These guys seem to have fun in everything they do.
Liner notes include French lyrics.
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