THE latest in family-friendly music is an eclectic lot. From a jazz trio to a solar-powered indie band, middle-school Brooklyn kids and veteran Hawaiian musicians, there are plenty of good new albums out there. This week, you can even catch a few of these bands live. However you choose to listen, it’s easy to tune in.
CARE BEARS ON FIRE
“I Stole Your Animal”
The oldest member of Care Bears on Fire is only 13, but these Park Slope kids can certainly rock, as demonstrated on their debut EP, “Confuse Me.” Now they’re back with their first full album and are as rockin’ as ever. After kicking off with their signature “Everybody Else,” announcing the band’s credo of noncomformity, the Bears show they’ve matured.
“Five-Minute Boyfriend” and “Met You on MySpace” (about becoming friends with someone on MySpace only to find out that the “friend” is a unicorn) detail a few of the newfound issues they face as they get older. But there’s plenty of fun to be had with simpler songs like “Victim of Rock and Roll” and “Baby Animals.”
If you liked their EP or just want to hear some rock by kids, for kids, you’ll love “I Stole Your Animal.” myspace.com/carebearsonfire
MEDESKI, MARTIN & WOOD
“Let’s Go Everywhere”
This jazz trio draws everyone from jazz acolytes to folks who would seem more at home at a Phish show. Now Medeski, Martin & Wood can add kids to the mix. “Let’s Go Everywhere” is an album for children, but it contains just as much variety as MMW’s other albums. It has Asianinspired pieces filled with exotic instruments (“Waking Up” and “Far East Sweets”); a new take on Johnny Cash’s “I’ve Been Everywhere” (the title track, sung by Tim “Big Time” Ingham) and even a far-out version of “Hickory Dickory Dock.”
And then there are some signature MMW jams, albeit short ones, like “Let’s Go,” which runs less than three
minutes. “Let’s Go Everywhere” goes everywhere musically and is a refreshing take on children’s music. mmw.net
PUTUMAYO KIDS PRESENTS
“Hawaiian Playground”
Putumayo has put together another great collection of ethnic music, this time from Hawaii. The album is filled with upbeat, acoustic tunes, like Teresa Bright’s “The Cockeyed Mayor of Kauna-Kakai” and Joe McDermott’s “Come to Hawaii.” Ehukai’s “Moloka’i Slide” and Robi Kahakalau’s “Pi’i Mai Ka Nalu” help round out everything with a more modern, dancehall-ish sound.
“Hawaiian Playground” is barely a half-hour long, but it provides an enjoyable soundtrack for warm weather and a nice illusion to get you through the winter. putumayo.com
THE HARMONICA POCKET
“Ladybug One”
Proudly proclaiming that it was “recorded with solar power,” “Ladybug One” has a relaxing, mellow vibe appropriate for any age. The subject matter is pretty simple, ranging from both acoustic and dub versions of the song “Ladybug 123” (with a preface about how important ladybugs are to the ecosystem), to the psychedelic-sounding “I Love the ABCs.”
There are a few offbeat takes on the standards, the most interesting of which is a tabla- and sitar-filled “O Susannah!” that would have made George Harrison proud. The liner notes suggest the last six tracks are great for bedtime, and the succession of lullabies, including one in Hindi, is certainly calming – for kids and adults alike. harmonicapocket.net
WHERE TO SEE ‘EM
Care Bears on Fire
Today at 4 p.m. (doors open at 2 p.m.) at Union Hall, 702 Union St., at Fifth Avenue, Brooklyn. Tickets are $10 for adults; $5 with student ID; (718) 638-4400, unionhallny.com
Hawaiian Playground players
(The Moonlighters, Joe McDermott) Today at noon at Joe’s Pub, 425 Lafayette St. Tickets are $15 for adults, $12 for kids under 12; (212) 967-7555, joespub.com
Medeski, Martin & Wood
Wednesday at 6 p.m. at Borders Books, 10 Columbus Circle; (212) 823-9775. Free.