Home > audiofiles

Freeplay: tinyfolk
By Cassie Hood
hoodc@mscd.edu

tinyfolk Thirty-Six Cat Songs

With a smile that stretched across his entire face, the Cheshire Cat exclaimed, “You can’t help that. We are all mad here.” And with tinyfolk’s release of Thirty-Six Cat Songs, everyone gets their own seat at the Mad Hatter’s tea party.

As the title suggests, this album has 36 short songs -– with the longest only lasting one minute – all about cats. As the singers belt out their flat, unmelodic songs, it is apparent just how crazy people are about their feline friends.

The album jumps between brief musings about cats as it plays. The song “Kittens Are Our Future. You Can’t Deny That” sounds like a Dr. Seuss book, with someone repetitively stating that kittens are the future and one day they will be cats. It has no real musical virtues, but it is entertaining nonetheless.

“They’re All Neat” emulates Sesame Street as the singer slowly recites the different names for kitties. Then the track ends abruptly with a harmony about how cats are all neat. The album goes bilingual with “Todos Los Gatos En El Mundo,” an upbeat ukulele pop song. As tinyfolk expresses their undying love for cats, it is obvious they were either really bored or should seek psychological therapy for an unhealthy obsession.

Occasionally other instruments are used in place of the tiny Hawaiian ukulele. For instance, “Space Cat” uses a xylophone and vocals to make space noises. “Cat Song” is only four seconds of a recorder followed by someone saying “cat song.” It isn’t a very exciting song, but in the context of the rest of the album, it is a charming interlude.

The Cat in the Hat’s heart would melt if he heard tinyfolk’s Thirty-Six Cat Songs, because even his crazy antics couldn’t destroy their love for felines. The guys in tinyfolk fit in with the overzealous pet lovers who dress their furry friends in costumes for Halloween or take them to Spain to be blessed by a Catholic priest. Neurotic pet love aside, this album is a rare jewel that will bring Cheshire-sized smiles to faces worldwide.