No longer the die-hard Nickelodeon-Head that I absolutely once was, I've missed out on some serious next-generation kids show scoping. However, you, like me, may have collected word over the past couple of years that Nick Jr. show Yo Gabba Gabba! was laying claim to some pretty killer format experimentation, most notably of which consists of sing-alongs lead by a handful of impressively top name indie bands.
There was mention of The Shins & Mates of State taking part in the action, first peaking my interest. Both those bands create music one can imagine children digesting comfortably & singing along to in joyful, melodious wonder. But last week, it was reported that Cornelius had taped a performance for the show. As in the awesome, shredding, Japanese math rock band, Cornelius?! This Cornelius?!?!?:
Clearly, Yo Gabba Gabba! is the greatest children's show of all time.
Unfortunately, there is no way to embed video of the performance, but you can and should take a look over at Jezebel, or watch full screen on Yo Gabba's own site (how cool is their site? Adult Swim for kids).
Cornelius is one of my favorite artists whose rockin', strange time signature music practically begs to be used cinematically. Ranging anywhere from acoustic, Zen-like calm to thrashy, noise-art rock, their kinetic & frenzied sound marries wonderfully to visuals, and some of Japan's top visual artists agree. In addition to some fantastically surreal & beautiful music videos, the band performs live in front of a large screen displaying video pieces created by various such artists that are specifically synchronized to their playing. Here's what the beginning of a show looked like during their recent Sensuous Synchronized tour:
I think it's safe to say that Cornelius is breaking some new ground in redefining what's possible at a live show. Videos like that prove you don't have to be U2 or Radiohead to utilize the wonders of synched visuals. Here are some more of the group's amazing background videos, sans the band:
As mentioned before, the band has some great traditional music videos as well. Take a peak:
I myself used many songs off the band's 2001 album Point throughout SEAN. (a feature film I made in 2005) and the band's "I Hate Hate" was the theme song to a television public access show I co-created called I'm On Public Access!:
Cornelius' last release was Sensuous in 2006, and assumedly, a follow up is in the works. Until then, may I suggest feasting the eyes & ears on their Grammy-winning CD/DVD Sensurround + B Sides ("Best Surround Sound Album" Woooo!).
*UPDATE*: Just learned that Cornelius has apparently written new music for Shawn Of The Dead and Hot Fuzz director Edgar Wright's new film, Scott Pilgram Vs. The World. Hopefully, this signals a new venture for Cornelius in scoring film.
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