In Our Future …there are children…and music

…or something like that. Thing is, children’s music gets somewhat of a bum’s rap. Sure, there’s the brain-melting Barney and the soul-killing Teletubbies, but there’s also Schoolhouse Rock and Sesame Street. Now that the supposed wonders of playing Mozart to fetuses has been debunked, parents are free to play their kids music that they can stand, too.

WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE is a book that, it can be safely said, almost every child over a certain age can recite by heart. The movie got mixed reviews -I thought it was just fine, daring and safe in the right amounts – but the soundtrack is hard to criticize.

Spike Jonze, the movie’s director, got his ex-girfriend, Karen O (front woman of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs) to spearhead the project.

She recruited a bunch of her indie rock buddies: Tristan Bechet (Services), Tom Biller (co-producer with Karen O and member of Afternoons), Bradford Cox (Deerhunter), Brian Chase (Yeah Yeah Yeahs), Dean Fertita (Queens of the Stone Age, The Dead Weather, The Raconteurs), Aaron Hemphill (Liars), Greg Kurstin (The Bird and the Bee), Jack Lawrence (The Dead Weather, The Raconteurs, The Greenhornes), Oscar Michel (Gris Gris), Imaad Wasif (New Folk Implosion, Alaska) and Nick Zinner (Yeah Yeah Yeahs). They tried to, and succeeded in, getting the spirit of the book and movie down in song.

Karen O’s vocals are thin and innocent on her regular records and those qualities serve her well here. The beauty of “All Is Love” comes from its embracing message, but the organic arrangement, augmented by an untrained children’s choir, gets equal credit.

When the story takes off, “Capsize” captures its danger and tumult. Daniel Johnston (the mentally troubled troubadour) wrote “Worried Shoes” and it fits smartly here, with its inchoate sentiments of dread.

“Rumpus” is a romp, “Hideaway” is a heartbreaker, and “Head’s Up” is all irresistible charm; “Food Is Still Hot” and “Sailing Home” are suitably comforting.

BABY LOVES JAZZ: GO, BABY, GO! is an apparent one-off project led by the perpetually-busy trumpeter, Steven Bernstein. It could, if given a decent shot, perform the small miracle of making the title come true for even jazz-a-phobic parents.

An all-star cast is on hand, with standouts John Medeski on keys, Briggan Krauss on bari sax and Lonnie Plaxico on bass. Sharon Jones and Babi Floyd on vocals steal the show, however.

The disc is amazing in its variety, swing and verve. Children’s perennials like “If You’re Happy and You Know It,” “ABC,” “Old McDonald” and “I’ve Been Working on the Railroad” are given groovy makeovers, the last featuring hilarious and sassy give-and-take between the vocalists. Less expected but wholly welcome tunes like “Banana Boat Song” and “You Are My Sunshine” keep things exciting.

Entertaining instruction on various instruments are interspersed between the songs in short snippet form.

And believe me, jazz-averse parents – the record is all unadulterated fun, with not a dissonant chord or avant garde screech in sight. Buy this one for your kids, but don’t be surprised when you leave it in the player after you drop them off at school.

Houma’s own FRED CLARK has roots in alt-country, knocking around with the likes of Uncle Tupelo and its spinoffs. He had taken a long break from making music when he got diagnosed with type 2 diabetes and decided to get back in the game. His new CD, HAPPY FUN, delivers on its promise.

The catchword here is “gentle.” Clark plays a very well-recorded acoustic guitar and producer Trenell Parfait plays a host of other instruments in support. His children sing heartfelt backing vocals (with the occasional, but appropriate, wobble).

Clark, or “Mr. Fred”, starts things off with “I Love Books”, a curious but wholly agreeable message for a music CD. The titles of some of the songs are just as straightforward: “I Need A Snack”, “The Turkey Song” and “Free Birds” (not a Skynyrd cover).

He gets more fanciful on “Mr. Silly”, “Macaroni the Super Pony” and “Dinosaur Parade”, the last sporting his best Jay Farrar impersonation. He ends the CD proper with two relative ravers, “Pop Goes the Rock” and the title track.

After the 11 main tracks Mr. Fred helpfully repeats all the songs again sans vocals, so your family can supply their own, karaoke-style.

Here’s hoping Mr. Fred will use his grown-up name on record soon, as well. In the meantime we can enjoy his love letter to his own, as well as all, children.