Cool summer CDs for kids

Seattle-based Recess Monkey rolls into town this month with fresh tunes.

Photograph: Kevin Fry

What a Ride! Eric Herman
Earnest and energetic, Herman writes hilariously catchy songs for the elementary-school crowd. He channels a doctor on “Heartbeat,” accompanied by bright, robust horns. In “Stinkbug,” the titular insect tries in vain to wash off his smell, and “Ants in Your Pants #99” is an enticement to get down—although, despite the James Brown allusion, it’s more frenetic than funky. The highlight, “Carseat Snack,” is a perfect road-trip anthem. Eric Herman Music, $15.

Field Trip Recess Monkey
Optimistic exuberance brims over on this well-established kiddie band’s fifth CD—even in songs addressing thematic bummers like “Haven’t Got a Pet Yet.” The groove is deep on “Hot Chocolate,” and “Sack Lunch” is a head-nodding cross between Tracy Chapman and Vampire Weekend. As its name implies, Recess Monkey rarely leaves the silly behind—look no further than “Knocktopus,” a jam about a cephalopod who tells knock-knock jokes. Catch the crew in concert at various local libraries throughout the month. Monkey Mama Records, $15.

Pink! Rocknoceros
Already big in the D.C. area, the versatile trio plans to hit NYC in August. The guys tackle familiar subject matter—haircuts, naptime and trains—with sophisticated aplomb on their third disc. The title track is 100 percent bubblegum pop, which is fitting considering the color it’s about. “The Train Song” veers into ’40s-style big band territory; “Put a Hat On” is jazzy-funky, and “Virginia” is a sunny ode to the group’s home state. Endearingly (or perhaps bizarrely), “Don’t Give Up” is a little-engine-that-could ditty addressed to parents feeling the strain of raising kids. Rocknoceros LLC, $15.

The Time Machine The Sippy Cups
More Pink Floyd and Flaming Lips than Dan Zanes and Laurie Berkner, the San Francisco–based quintet serves up slightly subversive psychedelic fare for the littlest rockers. On this ambitious concept album, children themselves are the time machines, passing through life’s milestones. They’ll shake and wiggle along with “My Loose Tooth” and learn some new math in an absurdist lesson in aging on the Beatlesque “Seven Is the New 14.” Snacker Disc, $15.

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