Much like the title implies, Ear Snacks compiles the best selections from the first season’s podcast run by the Los Angeles husband and wife duo of Andrew & Polly. Pulling from over seven hours of podcasting, the genre-skipping pair assembles a greatest hits sort of listen – with plenty of emphasis on the great.
“Dancing Pants” starts off the album and it’s just that: a danceable fun time with horns and dual gender vocals that features Mista Cookie Jar. “Ballphabet” is the next full song, with a call and response approach about various activities involving balls set to a quirky pop template. “Grapes,” guided by Polly, mixes spoken word and singing to tell an infectious story about eating grapes that again is quirky, fun, and impossible not to smile while listening to. “Tiny Dino” is softer and acoustic, but gets a little louder when discussing the dinosaur roaring, while the key and horn heavy “Mail” reminds us to check our mail daily, since we might have a letter from Michelle Obama.
The second half of the album leads off with the album highlight “How Do You Know If It’s Going To Rain,” a sweet and soft acoustic strummer with Polly’s soulful vocals. “Everybody Hat Hat” is probably the most overtly kid’s song, with its simple lyrics about hats and accompanying noises to each topic. And of course there’s an animal song – “I Wanna Be A Giraffe” – though it sounds more like an indie-pop anthem about self-empowerment. “Expo Song” is the country tune with harmonica and violins, and this theme continues into the lush folk-pop of “Hey Hat.” The album closes with the Laurie Berkner influenced “Why Is Fruit Fruit?,” an acoustic sing-a-long that’s pleasant to the ears of any age.
Though the album is geared towards those under the age of 12 and even comes with a 20 page ‘Snacktivity’ booklet, there’s maturity to the musicianship here that will appeal to any adult. It’s no surprise that Andrew & Polly’s podcast has become so popular, as the two clearly have a knack for creating a good time for anyone entering their orbit.
