Catching up with Gustafer Yellowgold

Whether your kids are already familiar with Gustafer Yellowgold or they’re new to the sensitive sun alien, odds are they’ll find the latest release from illustrator-songwriter-performer Morgan Taylor easy listening—in a good way.

Like his two previous albums, the CD/DVD Mellow Fever pairs melodic tunes with offbeat humor, and illustrates them with simple animations of Taylor’s minimalist drawings. New on this set are clever cartoon vignettes that introduce the songs. The lyrics also delve deeper into Gustafer’s past: his journey to Earth on “Sunpod,” his childhood summers on “Butter Pond Lake.” And there’s no shortage of pop-culture references for parents, like the king-of-the-world Titanic dream of Gustafer’s number one fan, Wincey the ferret.

Guest appearances on Mellow Fever include the guys from Wilco helping out on Wincey’s “Sugar Boat,” Lisa Loeb singing about Sisson the worm’s poor sense of direction on the sweet “Quite Easily Lost” and Taylor’s ten-month-old son Harvey giving a well-timed, though accidental, yelp on “Panther Stamp Pants.” The little guy behind that last cameo has had a particular effect on Taylor’s work. “Being a dad has made me even more determined to make a living,” the musician says. If the quality of this third outing is any indication, he’s well up to the task.—Time Out Kids