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Friday Fun Thread for May 26, 2023

Be advised: this thread is not for serious in-depth discussion of weighty topics (we have a link for that), this thread is not for anything Culture War related. This thread is for Fun. You got jokes? Share 'em. You got silly questions? Ask 'em.

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My small children love listening to Daft Punk - Discovery, they listen to the whole album and dance to it almost every day. They’ve been doing so for a couple years now.

It came up basically by accident, as I’m a fan of the music and just popped it on one day during the early COVID year, and they instantly connected to it. Hell it even has its own album length animated music video that you can find online.

I’ve been poking around trying to find another classic electronic / pop album to introduce to them but I’m falling flat. Closest thing to a success I’ve gotten to is ABBA.

They love listening to full symphonies and enjoy classical music but it’s not the same as a danceable full album.

Anyone have suggestions? I think they like it because it’s fun, bright, easy to follow while still complicated enough to be interesting, and infinitely danceable.

Does it need to be a single self-contained album? I saw your question a bit late, got a bit autistic, and compiled a nearly 100-song playlist that I think would hit the sweet spot between the electro-funk-disco of Daft Punk and the buoyant bubblegum-disco of ABBA, but then I remembered that some people are using music applications where they have to purchase discrete albums. I’d be happy to share that playlist I put together for you, but as far as single-album recommendations, I’ll put out 55 by The Knocks, which is more toward the Daft Punk end but a bit poppier, and The ABBA Generation by A*Teens, which puts a synthpop twist on classic ABBA songs.

Sounds neat, can you send this to me as well?

”Classic” - The Knocks & POWERS

“Burning Up” - Marianas Trench

“My Type” - Saint Motel

“Dance” - DNCE

“Bulletproof” - La Roux

“Classic” - MKTO

“Talk (Single Edit)” - Two Door Cinema Club

“Brokenhearted” - Karmin

“Kill The Lights” - Alex Newell, Jess Glynne, etc.

“Mamma Mia” - A*Teens

“Time To Groove” - Majestic & Nonô

“Funhouse” - P!nk

“Cake By The Ocean” - DNCE

“Collect My Love” - The Knocks

“Preach” - Saint Motel

“Fireworks” - Purple Disco Machine

“Black Magic” - Little Mix

“Don’t Start Now” - Dua Lipa

“Safe And Sound” - Capital Cities

“Sway” - Fitz & The Tantrums

“Try Me” - Josh Ramsay

“The Feeling” - The Knocks

“Better Days” - NEIKED, Mae Muller, etc.

“Upside Down” - A*Teens

“Everytime We Touch” - Cascada

“We Like To Party” - Vengaboys

“Our Own House” - MisterWives

“Want To Want Me” - Jason Derulo

“How 2 Dance” - Kaiser Chiefs

“I Don’t Like It, I Love It” - Flo Rida

“Sugar” - Maroon 5

“Nightcalling” - Red Rum Club

“Dancing Feet” - Kygo & DNCE

“Break My Heart” - Dua Lipa

“Can’t Stop The Feeling!” - Justin Timberlake

“Disco” - Sub-Radio

“Moves Like Jagger” - Maroon 5 & Christina Aguilera

“Shake It Off” - Taylor Swift

“Hard Times” - Paramore

“Shut Up And Dance” - Walk The Moon

“Rhythm Of Your Heart” - Marianas Trench

“Dancing Queen” - A*Teens

“Animal” - Neon Trees

“Came Here For Love” - Sigala & Ella Eyre

“Kiss You” - One Direction

“Move” - DNCE

“Kings & Queens” - Ava Max

“Je Viens De La” - Two Door Cinema Club

“Sugar” - Robin Schulz & Francesco Yates

“HandClap” - Fitz & The Tantrums

“Steal My Sunshine (Single Version)” - LEN

“Ride Or Die” - The Knocks & Foster The People

“Talk Too Much” - COIN

“Kiss” - Prince

“Troublemaker” - Olly Murs & Flo Rida

“Vowels” - Capital Cities

“Rock Your Body” - Justin Timberlake

“Hot Wheels” - Doom Flamingo

“Up All Night” - One Direction

“Waterloo” - ABBA

“Perfect Mistake” - Josh Ramsay

“Work This Body” - Walk The Moon

“Anyway (Rhythm Shed Refix)” - CeeLo Green

“Moves” - Olly Murs

“Emotions” - Mariah Carey

“Coloring Outside The Lines” - MisterWives

“Rose-Colored Boy” - Paramore

“Closer” - Tegan And Sara

“Everybody Talks” - Neon Trees

“Kissing Strangers” - DNCE

“Shut Up And Kiss Me” - Marianas Trench

“Cinderella” - The Knocks

“Uma Thurman” - Fall Out Boy

“Happy” - Pharrell Williams

“Daydream” - The Aces

“Toxic Pony” - ALTÉGO, Britney Spears, Ginuwine

“Cheap Thrills” - Sia

“Never Gets Old” - Penguin Prison

“I Sold My Bed, But Not My Stereo” - Capital Cities

“Misery” - Maroon 5

“Do Me Right” - Vintage Trouble

“Dance Monkey” - Tones And I

“Crazy In Love” - Beyoncé & Jay-Z

“Moneygrabber” - Fitz & The Tantrums

“Stutter” - Marianas Trench

“Walking On Sunshine” - Katrina & The Waves

“Feel It Still” - Portugal, The Man

“Blurred Lines” - Robin Thicke, T.I., Pharrell Williams

“No Need For Dreaming” - MisterWives

“Shut Up And Let Me Go” - The Ting Tings

“Come Alive” - FMLYBND

“Paper Wings” - Taylor Swift

“1901” - Phoenix

“Feels” - Calvin Harris, Pharrell Williams, Katy Perry

“Feels Like Summer” - Panama Wedding

“Untouched” - The Veronicas

“Popular Song” - MIKA & Ariana Grande

“Levitating” - Dua Lipa

“September” - Earth, Wind & Fire

“101” - WALLA

“Rain On Me (Purple Disco Machine Remix)” - Lady Gaga & Ariana Grande

“Total Eclipse Of The Heart (Dance Mix” - Nicki French

“Sucker” - Jonas Brothers

“What You Know” - Two Door Cinema Club

“Here (In Your Arms)” - Hellogoodbye

“It’s All Happening” - Saint Motel

“Dance” - Tim Halperin

“Raise Your Glass” - P!nk

“Midnight City” - M83

“I Think I Like You” - The Band CAMINO

“It’s Time (Penguin Prison Remix)” - Imagine Dragons

“Kids In America” - Cascada

“Untouched” - The Veronicas

“I Can Talk” - Two Door Cinema Club

“What Makes You Beautiful” - One Direction

“Do Me Right” - Vintage Trouble

“Paper Rings” - Taylor Swift

“Brave” - Sara Bareilles

“How Will I Know” - Whitney Houston

“Girls Just Want To Have Fun” - Cyndi Lauper

“Time & Time Again” - Sleepy Tom & Hotel Mira

“Locked Out Of Heaven” - Bruno Mars

“You’re Gone” - Smoove & Terrell

“Shadows” - Alphabeat

“Valerie” - Mark Ronson & Amy Winehouse

“Fire Alarm” - Castlecomer

“Electric Love (Oliver Remix)” - BØRNS

“Paralyzed” - Rock Kills Kid

“Hey Ya!” - OutKast

“Stutter” - Marianas Trench

“Fiona Coyne” - Skylar Spence

“Watermelon Sugar” - Harry Styles

“Around The Bend” - The Asteroids Galaxy Tour

“Play That Funky Music” - Wild Cherry

“I Wanna Dance With Somebody” - Whitney Houston

“That’s Not My Name” - The Ting Tings

“ABC” - The Jackson 5

“Paralyzer” - Finger Eleven

I too know the autistic pull of making huge playlists.

I’m trying to introduce them to discrete bodies of work as I feel that’s a mode of listening that’s falling out of fashion but shouldn’t.

I’ll take those album recommendations to heart, though.

The Go! Team - Thunder, Lightning, Strike

Seconding Since I Left You by The Avalanches. That album is definitely a classic and is full of fantastic stuff. Check out the title track, Electricity and ETOH for a sampling of what the album has to offer. It has a bit of a sound collage feel (being a plunderphonics album) and it might be a bit more crunchy and loose than you want, perhaps, but the album really offers a seamless experience.

There's also another Australian band called Parcels which would probably be a good fit for you - not only do their tracks do have the "fun, bright, easy to follow" and "danceable" quality you mention, they make music in the same vein as Daft Punk (french house). Here is an early EP of theirs, titled Hideout, and here is their first album, also titled Parcels.

My daughter loves The Blues Brothers. Some of the songs aren't appropriate, but Rubber Biscuit is one of her favorites, along with Soul Man, Messin' With The Kid and Everybody Needs Somebody To Love.

Fever, Body Language and X by Kylie Minogue are all great and super fun danceable albums

Kelis put out a house record in 2010 that's still so good called Flesh Tone (Not sure if the Kelis or Kylie albums have kid friendly lyrics if you're sensitive about that)

Definitely look into some old Nile Rodgers produced disco, I Want Your Love is one of my favorite songs of all time

Also Giorgio Moroder- Coast to Coast AM legendary theme song The Chase and his work with Donna Summer I Feel Love are amazing but I'm sure he has some full albums that are great

Not exactly what you're looking for but I think kids would love the Bust a Groove 1 and 2 soundtracks, the Katamari soundtracks (1 2 3 etc.) and anything from Dance Dance Revolution :)

Edit: I also used to listen to this CD on repeat when I wanted to dance

Lone Digger by Caravan Palace is pretty good

Grum - Heartbeats : fun, bright electro-dance album

Edit: oh, and probably the Mystery Skulls animated music videos

I like Justice but it might be on the heavier side at times for small children.

Yellow Magic Orchestra might be good but I haven't listened to any of their albums all the way through.

Hexstatic - Rewind. Ticks the simple, fun and danceable box, ticks the audio-visual video synchronisation box. Might be a bit too retro in its references to Speak'n'Spells, Space Invaders and Kung Fu films that were already explicitly retro when it came out in 2000.

Since I Left You by the Avalanches should be a perfect fit.

Yeah this was a good suggestion. They like it already.

They might like Aphex Twin, particularly Richard D James album.

That's one of my favourite artists and is certainly suitable for children. After the RDJ album, I recommend showing them the accompanying EP, Come To Daddy, and the title track's music video.

I'm aware, I'm just being facetious - rather, I'm pointing out that there are a lot of Aphex Twin tracks which are probably not suitable for small children (something which I assume the contents of the links I provided would immediately make clear).

nightmare fuel is its own category of objectionableness, but I lol'd all the same.