Recently in Audio Entertainment Category

Educational songs started warping my mind back when Saturday morning cartoons were interspersed with Schoolhouse Rocks ditties about United States government and subtle grammar lessons that duped me into learning things I didn't care about at the time. If only the Internet could have delivered this collection into my consciousness before I became a jaded adult; I might have been blinded with science instead of fantasizing about science fiction. Three of the collections available here were performed by the songwriter responsible for playground sing-along, "On Top of Spaghetti." If you are a They Might Be Giants fan, you'll probably recognize "Why Does The Sun Shine." Play these for your own enjoyment or play them for your kids. What better way to subvert entertainment than with a little education?

For this first issue, I'm going to make a shameless plug for To My Surprise. Anyone following my writing over the last several years knows I've been raving about the musical talents of my friend Stevan Robinson. To My Surprise offers a collection of surprisingly catchy songs reminiscent of the Beatles juxtaposed against newer rock icons like the Strokes or Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, with a dose of Mike Patton thrown in for good measure. The official band site offers several .swf versions of album tracks and a freebie MP3 of the first single. An awesome animated video can also be downloaded by QuickTime users.