Muppets-- The Green Album
I was both excited and skeptical when I heard that there's a new album of covers of Muppet songs by various indie rock darlings. On the one hand, I loved the Muppets dearly, and their music was a big part of my childhood-- we had the soundtracks to the Muppet Show and the first Muppet Movie on LP, which we would listen to all the time, and my brother and I had certain rituals of dance and play for each song. I found a couple of rereleases of Muppet music on cassette and cd when I was in college that revived all of those tracks, and John Denver & the Muppets: A Christmas Together remains, with no irony, one of my all-time favorite holiday albums. So more access to those songs = yay. Hipsters having their way with them, on the other hand = boo.
However, my friend Lisa linked to this NPR article about the album, which lets you listen to individual tracks or stream the full album. And I have to say, I really like it. There's a thin veneer of wistful nostalgia over it all, but beneath that there's a lot of joy in the original material and in the entertainment of a more sincere, less cynical time. As the NPR reviewer notes, "The kids who grew up with them are now adults and want to give back."
So go forth and listen. I dare you not to smile as you do.
However, my friend Lisa linked to this NPR article about the album, which lets you listen to individual tracks or stream the full album. And I have to say, I really like it. There's a thin veneer of wistful nostalgia over it all, but beneath that there's a lot of joy in the original material and in the entertainment of a more sincere, less cynical time. As the NPR reviewer notes, "The kids who grew up with them are now adults and want to give back."
So go forth and listen. I dare you not to smile as you do.