Robbet Bobbert and the Bubble Machine
Self Titled
Little Monster Records
10/10
These days it’s not unheard of for underground punk artists to switch gears and aim their talent at a younger generation. Recently we’ve seen Greg Atonitto of the Bouncing Souls working on a children’s book and an accompanying musical side project; Aquabats landing their own children’s TV show; and Ian MacKaye and Amy MacKaye of The Evens appearing for that awesome alphabet song on “Yo Gabba Gabba.” Well, Robert Schneider of the poppy indie outfit Apples in Stereo was among the first to switch those gears in the ‘90s when he contributed to Nickelodeon and Cartoon Network shows, Pete and Pete and Powerpuff Girls respectively. Although these musical contributions were of no concern to me, as a child and pre-teen in those days I can testify that those shows were both awesome.
So February 2009’s release, The Bubble Machine features the original gangsta striking back again with more poppy tunes for all ages. These are tunes older punk rockers won’t mind listening to on long family road trips with children ages three through whenever that “I’m too cool for this” attitude kicks in. The Bubble Machine’s sound is reminiscent of keyboard heavy artists like Atom and His Package or The Aquabats on tracks like “Gravity” and “We R Superheroes;” rock and roll roots are heard in “Hey Little Puppy” with the styles of Beach Boys and maybe a dash of B.B. King or Chuck Berry. “Boom Boom” is a fun track reminiscent of absurd indie pop like Architecture in Helsinki with no lyrics aside from “Ba-ba-da-ba” and such. The lyrical content on this record revolves mostly around animals such as mice, sheep, hippos, ducks, puppies and elephants. Aside from animals there’s a story about a clock and superhero. Beware: the positive and sweet lyrics on this record are enough to rot your teeth with one listen.
-Stephanie Thornton