Various Artists Kids Soundtrack (vinyl reissue) Review by Gary Hill I've never heard of the show for which the music here serves as a soundtrack. That doesn't prevent me from appreciating the music, and I really do. This is sort of along the lo-fi lines of sound. A lot of it leans along alternative rock and psychedelic lines, but there is a good amount of variety here. They've put this out in four different colors of vinyl corresponding to the four main colors on the cover. I've got the yellow one, and it's nice, but I'm sure they all are.
This review is available in book format (hardcover and paperback) in Music Street Journal: 2017 Volume 4 at lulu.com/strangesound.
Track by Track Review
Side One
Casper performed by Daniel Johnston
Symphonic strings start this. The cut works out from there to more of a punky hard rocker. It has plenty of roots music in the mix. It's definitely of the "rough around the edges" school.
Daddy Never Understood performed by Deluxx Folk Implosion
This is a powerhouse punk rocker. It's very much along the lines of hardcore. Some symphonic stuff mid-track is weird, but overall this is a straightforward punk stomper.
Nothing Gonna Stop performed by Folk Implosion
Electronic and percussive, this is a cool rocker. It's catchier and more mainstream than the last track. It's a bit psychedelic in some ways. It overstays its welcome a bit, though.
Jenny's Theme performed by Folk Implosion
I dig the bass that opens this. The cut works to a rather psychedelic kind of musical excursion. It gets a bit noisy and trippy as it continues forward.
Simean Groove performed by Folk Implosion
This has a cool rhythmic groove along with a bit of electronic vibe. There are lots of animal howls built into this. The cut is an instrumental.
Casper, the Friendly Ghost performed by Daniel Johnston
This is a weird little version of the "Casper" theme song. It's fun and definitely different.
Natural One performed by Folk Implosion Some synthesizer opens this. Then the rhythm section joins. I love the bass work on this. The vocals bring a bit of a modern psychedelic element to it.
Spoiled performed by Sebadoh
Stripped back alternative rock meets a psychedelic edge on this number. It's actually one of my favorites here, despite its minimalist approach (or perhaps because of it).
Side Two
Crash performed by Folk Implosion
There is a cool heavy psychedelic element built into this. It's a stoner rock kind of thing in a lot of ways. It's an instrumental.
Wet Stuff performed by Folk Implosion
This cut has a lot of piano at its heart. This is electronic and techno at the same time. There are some vocals, but they are dropped way back in the mix. Bits of spoken vocals, more like some kind of dialog, are also in the mix here.
Mad Fright Night performed by Lo Down Trippy electronics with a prominent rhythm section serve as the backdrop. A rap comes over the top of that, turning this to a cool old-school hip hop number. It gets a definite parental advisory for the lyrics.
Raise the Bells performed by Folk Implosion This keyboard based instrumental is pretty trippy.
Good Morning Captain performed by Slint
Alternative rock is the order of business here. This is a cool tune that has both a solid rhythm section and intriguing spoken vocals. As it turns out to some crunchier, freakier music, it makes me think of both King Crimson and Primus. It gets into some literally screaming territory later in the track, feeling a lot like some of the modern alternative rock based progressive rock in some ways.
