KIDS' CORNER - Mellow Yellowgold
By Abby West
Morgan Taylor, the mastermind behind Gustafer, comes across like a modern-day Dr. Seuss on his new DVD/CD combo. Plus: DVDs of the classic ''Noisy Nora'' story and ''Fantastic Four,'' and two recommended books
MUCHA GUSTAFER Taylor's ''Gustafer Yellowgold'' music is for lovers of pop — be they dads, moms, or the kids
Gustafer Yellowgold's Wide Wild World
(DVD/CD, 30 mins.; 2007)
I never did the whole children's music thing. Never regularly listened to Raffi; never appreciated the musical stylings of the Wiggles. Nope. Our children, now six and eight, listened to the same eclectic music my husband and I did, and had only the briefest of baby-TV flings with Teletubbies, Barney, and Boohbah.
But now we're all thoroughly entranced by the animated story of a little yellow creature with big eyes and a very sunny outlook, set to the most infectious original songs. The simple, yet beautiful, hand-drawn illustrations in the DVD Gustafer Yellowgold's Wide Wild World introduces you to the pointy-headed Gustafer, who came from the Sun, now lives in Minnesota, is friends with a pterodactyl, and has an eel and a dragon as pets. Yes, the minimal visual style serves songs well, with titles like ''Mint Green Bee'' and ''Rocket Shoes,'' and whimsical lyrics (I jump on cake from up above / I step on pie so warm and lovely / It's mine to punt, vanilla bundt / All freshly baked, I'm on your cake).
But I submit to you that Gustafer doesn't count as children's music. The DVD, which runs the lyrics across the bottom of the screen, and includes a karaoke-style sing-a-long feature as well as a bonus CD, is the creation of illustrator/singer/songwriter Morgan Taylor. And it's like he's tapped into some pleasure center in the brain — both adult and kid. The hard-to-define music, which has been compared to the Beatles, the Flaming Lips, and Matthew Sweet, is just absurdly appealing. And what Taylor, who's been dubbed a sort of modern-day Dr. Seuss, has accomplished isn't children's music — it's family music. A —Abby West
For all ages
back
to press home page
|
