Monkey Town

Oh they are so smug, those mothers whose nights of being chained to a baby monitor are over. Those mothers who can go out at night without hiring a 15 year old babysitter for $15/hour. Those mothers whose 15 year olds are filing their tax returns separately. Smug mothers.

But here's what they didn't have: Old Navy and therefore Old Navy Maternity, diaper bags that look like handbags and not a quilted vinyl version of The Best of Beatrix Potter, kid's music that someone might want to hear.

Not that there's anything wrong with the songs from Barney - except that they make you want to zip your own head into the above mentioned vinyl diaper bag.

And I understand that this is not true of everybody. My sister really dug the whole mom thing. She liked having her bag shout "I'm somebody's mother! Yipppeeee!" She embraced the whole "oh let's just go ahead and sing The Wheels on the Bus one more time" thing. She, I'm sure, looked completely rocking in her leggings and oversized sweatshirts.

But it's just not for everyone. Some of us are in denial. And we are lucky, lucky, lucky that so many of us are in denial. Because for one thing, there's a whole new genre, called alt-kid music.

Case in point "Monkey Town" by Animal Heads. It is one of those cd's that doesn't make you simultaneously hit the brakes and the eject button when you get to your child's school. You might, in fact, not remember what it is until suddenly you hear

Peter Rabbit was a cat
Who had a habit of acting like a rabbit.
All his friends went splitter splat
But Peter Rabbit always looked both ways.

That seems to be one of the hallmarks of alt-kid - those lines that aren't necessarily written for the kids. Also, there's real music that sounds like actual songs. We got Monkey Town yesterday and played it in the car a few times today. I was listening to it in my usual music-review mode and then I noticed that my kids were going out of their minds in the backseat. Yes, sometimes the kids like alt-kid music too! It's a bonus.

And speaking of bonuses, the fine fine people of Animal Heads sent me an extra promo copy - so I can share the wealth. If you are the 5th person to email me (address is right up there in the sidebar), I'll send you your very own copy of Monkey Town. Woohoo! Freebies! Not sure it's your cup of tea? Click the Animal Heads link above and you can listen to a few of the songs.

Oh, and you can even email me if you are smug.