Earthworm Ensemble and Earth Worm Disco

Earthworm Ensemble, Earthworm Ensemble
Western Seeds Records, $15.

Are worms the new penguins? If these new music releases are any indication, maybe. The self-titled CD from Los Angeles mega-group Earthworm Ensemble—22 people are listed in the album credits—presents families with a plucky alt-Americana listening experience that occasionally veers off into psychedelia. The vibe is much more La. (as in Louisiana) than L.A., as the majority of the songs could be lost tracks from the O Brother, Where Art Thou? soundtrack. But there’s a good deal of urban funk, too—including a street-legit rap on “Pizza Moon.” It’s an adventurous, and ultimately successful, musical experiment.

Shira Kline, Earth Worm Disco
ShirLaLa, $15.

Burrowing up from more local soil is NYC’s own Shira Kline (a.k.a. ShirLaLa) with her new album of mainstream toe-tappers. The colorful Kline may find it difficult to stick with just one genre—she bounces from pop to jazz to disco and back again—but she keeps to a green theme, with tunes about recycling, local produce and all sorts of other Earth-saving goodness. Which worm you choose is up to your family’s sensibility: If Earthworm Ensemble is the WRXP of invertebrate-themed music, Earth Worm Disco is the Z100.—Christopher Healy

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