February can be a dreary month, so I was looking for high-energy CDs to heat up even the coldest day. I chose two concept albums that I found incredibly clever and creative, one about numbers and one about a stinger-less bee named Everett.
They Might Be Giants might be familiar to readers for such cult classics as “Ana Ng,” “Istanbul (Not Constantinople),” and maybe “Doctor Evil,” the theme song they sang for “Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me.” In 2002, they made the foray into the realm of children’s music with the album “No!”
Their most recent children’s CD, due out this month, is “Here Come the 123s,” a follow-up to “Here Come the ABCs” released in 2005.
Not surprisingly, each song is about numbers, such as “Pirate Girls Nine,” “High Five,” and “Triops Has Three Eyes.” (Triops is a small crustacean, in case you were wondering, like I was).
Although Disney produced this CD and it seems a little glossier than their early CDs, the TMBG essence was definitely not lost, including interesting rhythms and quirky lyrics such as, “Six knows how to stand on his head,” and “Mom was upset with the monkeys in the tree and the monkey on the bike that I named Larry,” among others. A companion DVD has high-quality animated videos of each song. Incidentally, TMBG will be performing a 14+ show on March 16 at the Satellite Ballroom in Charlottesville.
The second CD, “Wonderstuff,” is filled with addictive songs by a group I was previously unfamiliar with. Recess Monkey is three kooky teachers from Seattle whose vocal harmonies sound a bit like the Beach Boys or the Beatles.
The album itself is more like a book-and-tape than a traditional all-music CD. A mock-Shakespearean narrator named Penelope chronicles the adventures of Everett, a bee with no stinger, and his friend Harold the Rat as they save their world from the mysterious “Gray.”
In between narratives are funny songs about going to sleep, owning a pet rock, going to the pool and climbing hills. Much like “The Muppet Show” was, this CD is funny on two levels, winking at the parents while still appealing to the kids.
If you find yourself driving on a gray day or your kids have lost their glow, turn on either of these CDs and you’ll be putting on sunglasses in no time (at least figuratively, if not literally)!

During the sampling of these CDs, Whitney Lou’s two year old son, Jax, suffered minor rug burn on his head when he attempted a dangerous dance move. They live in the near West End.

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