I have a few friends who are currently expecting their first babies, and so I’ve been compiling a few, what I call, ‘booby boxes’ for them. I send first-time parents a ‘booby box’ in the third trimester with a few things I found essential in the early postpartum period. I’ve got it down to a pretty fine art, and since it’s the only fine art I’m practising at the moment, and so many of you seem to be my age, I thought I’d share it here - just in case it might be useful. You’re pregnant friends’ nipples and hooha can thank me later:
And in more musically relevant news, I’ve been working on a Raffi tribute album. If you’re not familiar with Raffi (i.e., if you're not North American or don’t have kids), he’s an Armenian-Canadian singer of children’s songs. His 1976 album Singable Song for the Very Young is, in this parent’s opinion, a masterpiece. Among his catalogue, there are plenty of familiar standards from the well-trodden canon of children’s songs, but it’s his own compositions I find most appealing - see here:
The world of children's music is filled with either patronising shite or overstimulating chaos. What I so adore about Raffi is his deadpan sincerity. And the fact that you won’t find him doing brand deals with a toothpaste company. In a world of insincere and nefarious merchandising, Raffi remains a trustworthy and reliable force. He’s still at it. Not many people know of him in Europe. I only came across him via my American friends who loved him growing up and now have kids of their own.
I did a few songs last year for a small vinyl release - but I’m working on some more to make a full album of Raffi covers.
Anyway, I love him. And that’s what I’m up to. And here’s my version of One Light, One Sun: