Hey, hey, hey, hey oh!

“Buy this. It’s awesome.” Handing me a copy of The Little Ones’ Sing Song EP, my brother, Dan, cemented a spot in the “Great Moments in Older Brother History Hall of Fame.”

If it sounds like the “Great Moments in Older Brother History Hall of Fame” is something I made up about twelve seconds ago, it’s because it is. While we’re here, I might as well induct a few other moments to the Hall’s inaugural class: Dan taking me to my first concert (Pearl Jam on May 2, 2003), Aaron giving me my first bowl of Cookie Crisp (the whole “cookies for breakfast” thing never flew with our mom), Dan drawing up a 26-play play book for our two against nobody front yard football games as the hypothetical "Ridgeview Rockets," and Aaron taking me to Boston in the bitter cold of January. Thanks for humoring me.

Anyways, back to the point. It’s not that The Little Ones are my favorite band, or even anywhere close to the top five. It’s not that this was the best recommendation I’ve ever received from one of my brothers, either. What made this recommendation great was the boldness of it. I’d never even heard of The Little Ones, let alone heard any of their songs, and here was my brother suggesting, nay, demanding that I buy their EP.

The Little Ones are, as my brother knows, awesome. In conversation Dan will occasionally and without provocation ponder aloud when they will release a proper full length. I agree; they need one. If you like guitar-pop that you can clap your hands to, you’ll like The Little Ones. If you love joyous shout-along-able lyrics such as “hey, hey, hey, hey oh” you’ll really like The Little Ones.

The Sing Song EP starts in full sing-along mode, with its multi-voice "whoa-oh-oh-oh" kicking off the opening track, "Let Them Ring The Bells." Rolling percussion drives the first minute or so before giving way to bass, keyboards, and glockenspiel (at least that's what it sounds like to me). Next up is the standout track, “Lovers Who Uncover,” a guitar-driven song that squeezes the maximum handclap and sing-along potential from its four minutes and fourteen seconds. Although there is a bit of sadness to the tune, it is overpowered by the playfulness that characterizes the Sing Song EP. The songs may get a bit somber at times, but the lively guitar + synth + bass + sing-along formula is never abandoned along the way, and that's not a bad thing.

That's enough from me; I could give you a track-by-track retelling of the EP, but it's always more effective to show people something awesome rather than to tell people about it. Enjoy: