Music Review: “Yo Gabba Gabba”

Rating: 65 

Parents go through the gauntlet on children’s entertainment, and after a few years of separating the educational food pyramid of options from the sugar-coated fat bombs, a few things become clear. If it looks and sounds condescending, skip it. If it seems designed to indoctrinate your toddler into the malevolent maelstrom of modern marketing, hang on to your wallet. And if it makes parents jump out of their skin every time it lands in the music player or on television, it’s probably the equivalent of un-reading a book.

The first song collection from Nick Jr.’s “Yo Gabba Gabba!” doesn’t reach the level of They Might Be Giants’ “Here Come the 123′s,” a must-have for adults and children, but the ingredients are there. The show is a great place to see first-rate indie-pop bands playing for the small set: The Shins, the Postmarks, Shiny Toy Guns and Cornelius all appeared recently. This disc features a ton of filler from DJ Lance Rock and show’s various fuzzy creatures, but a few glimmers of goodness lie therein.