Once Upon An Indie Band: When Kids and Good Music Meet

Is it just us, or are little kids getting hipper these days? From badass rompers to Disney cartoons scored by Super Furry Animals, the world's young people are broadening their music taste in big ways. The first piece of music I ever owned was a cassette tape with a couple Vanilla Ice wannabes rapping the times tables (actually, I may have had a few of those), along with a compilation tape of dinosaur songs. But Pixar has taken the place of Fraggle Rock, Oregon Trail is but a classic memory in a world of Wii, and kids are rocking sleek PSPs and iPods instead of clunky yellow Walkmen and brick-shaped Gameboys.

The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie soundtrack (Flaming Lips, The Shins, Wilco, more)

For the spacey Flaming Lips, a song titled "Spongebob and Patrick Confront the Psychic Wall of Energy" isn't too terribly off-the-wall. But the fact that Wayne Coyne is singing about a cube-shaped, singing, talking, pants-wearing sponge and his obese, pink echinoderm friend makes it a little more bizarre. Or maybe it all makes perfect sense. Either way, the soundtrack for The Spongebob SquarePants Movie might be something worth stealing from the kid down the street.

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (Jarvis Cocker)

The Harry Potter franchise has won the hearts of kids and grown-ups alike, so this one doesn't really count. But the sight of former Pulp frontman Jarvis Cocker rocking the stage of the Weird Sisters alongside Jonny Greenwood of Radiohead feels like sharing some kind of inside joke with J.K. Rowling. Also, when are the Weird Sisters coming out with an album?

Crayola commercials (Animal Collective, Dan Deacon, The Unicorns

In a possible slip of the space-time continuum, coloring magnate Crayola has co-opted indie rock, their commercials backed by the likes of Animal Collective, Dan Deacon and The Unicorns. Have a look below:

Dan Deacon:

 

Animal Collective:

 

The Unicorns:

 

Sesame Street: Feist, Tilly and the Wall

Really, the only thing you can say about these two performances is that they're adorable. Feist one-ups the Count by turning her "1, 2, 3, 4" into a counting song. Meanwhile, the always-precious, harmonizing five-piece Tilly and the Wall sing, clap and tap-dance their way through the ABCs.

Nettwerk's For the Kids III compilation (Mates of State, Of Montreal, Great Lake Swimmers, more)

This compilation takes childhood classics and lets bands like Of Montreal have their way with them. But beyond all the great musical qualities of this album, perhaps the cherry on top is the fact that there's a cut called "The Poopsmith Song," and it's performed by Over the Rhine. Blitzen Trapper, Kyle Andrews, The Format and more are also featured. Download Mates of States' contribution below:

Mates of State - "Jellyman Kelly"

Paste's Indie Rock Alphabet Book

Sure, it may sound like a shameless plug, but let's be honest: the earlier you get 'em learning, the better. Get your kid schooled in the basics and they'll be music-blogging in no time flat.