Review and Giveaway: The Not-Its' Time Out to Rock CLOSED

Thank you to Waldmania! and Little Loopy Records for participating in the Bloggy Birthday Blowout Event on Goodie Goodie Gumdrops!

Every party needs some good music to fire things up and get people movin' and groovin'. For Nate's upcoming birthday bash, I know exactly who I'll be tagging to blare on the stereo.

The Not-Its are a Seattle-based quintet of alt-rock musicians who just so happened to fall into the fresh landscape of children's music. The best thing about them? They prove girls can rock just as hard as boys. Lead vocalist, Sarah Shannon, hails from the early 90's indie-pop band Velocity Girl (remember them from the Clueless soundtrack? I must've listened to "My Forgotten Favorite" a gazillion and one times as a teen). Along with bassist and vocalist Nori Hoeft, there's enough girl power here to put the Spice Girls to shame.

Their critically-acclaimed debut album, We Are The Not-Its, generated tremendous buzz and earned the group a Fids & Kamily Music Award for one of the best family music albums of 2009. Their sophomore release, Time Out to Rock, dropped on July 20th and delivers more of the same high-energy powerpop that made the entire "kindie" world sit up and take notice.

Track Listing:

1. Welcome to Our School
2. Time Out to Rock
3. First Kid in Outer Space
4. Green Light, Go!
5. Accidentally
6. Say it Loudly
7. Cheetah the Buffalo
8. Fantastic
9. Only Kids Can See
10. Change My Luck
11. Hollow Tree

Now, admittedly, there is some great children's music out today. But I probably wouldn't listen to most of it if my son wasn't within earshot. The Not-Its change all that. With their edgy, electric sound, I didn't feel as though I was listening to something meant for juveniles. I could have sworn I had taken a time warp back to my 90's grunge days and was headbanging and rockin' out to a great new band I discovered on MTV (before Jersey Shore, when they actually played music videos).

The stellar songwriting, top-notch vocals and authentic alt-pop instrumentals had me hooked from the start. The opening track, "Welcome to Our School", turns the volume up and sets the tone for the album with an R.E.M. flavor. But my favorite songs had to be the upbeat game of "Green Light, Go!", with its dreamy synth bridge, the doo-wop/pop ditty "Accidentally" and the pensive "Hollow Tree", which brought to mind The Cranberries.

The heartfelt lyrics discuss topics that we've all dealt with in our childhoods, from memorable, imaginative play ("First Kid in Outer Space") to standing up to bullies ("Say it Loudly") to having a terrible, horrible, no-good, very bad day ("Change My Luck"). Even if your child is too young to understand the words, he or she will still have a blast bouncing and dancing to this brimming-with-fun album. I should also mention that Nate was particularly enthralled with the contrasting album cover art, and had a hard time parting with it long enough for Mommy to snatch the CD.

Bottom line: Their name may imply otherwise but this band is "it". Every parent should take some Time Out to Rock - with or without their kiddos nearby.

BUY IT: You can purchase Time Out to Rock at most major music retailers, on iTunes or online from the Not-Its Shop (ARV $14.00).

WIN IT: I have another album up for grabs for one lucky reader!

MAIN COURSE (MANDATORY ENTRY): Visit the Not-Its website, spin some tracks and tell me which one is your favorite. Remember to please leave your email address in your comment if it isn't visible on your profile to prevent disqualification!

SUGAR ON TOP (BONUS ENTRIES): To maximize your chances of winning, you may do any or all of the following. Be sure to complete the above mandatory entry or your bonus entries will not count! Remember to leave one comment per entry.

1.) Follow my blog and/or subscribe via reader or email. If you already follow and/or subscribe, that counts! (1 entry each)

2.) Follow me and The Not-Its on Twitter and tweet about this contest. You may use the following tweet of come up with one of your own:

Take a Time Out to Rock with @The_Not_Its! Win their brand new family album @kris10chumley Ends 8/22 http://bit.ly/ahsnig

Just leave a comment with your tweet link. (1 entry)

3.) "Like" Goodie Goodie Gumdrops on Facebook. (1 entry)

4.) Become a fan of The Not-Its on Facebook. (1 entry)

5.) Join the Not-Its mailing list. (1 entry)

6.) Add my Bloggy Birthday Blowout event button to your site and leave a comment with the link to where I can find it. (1 entry)

7.) Add my blog button to your site and comment with the link to where I can find it. (1 entry)

Giveaway will end on August 22, 2010 at 11:59pm EST. Open to U.S. only. Winners will be chosen via Random.org and will have 48 hours to respond to congratulatory email or prize will be forfeited and another winner will be chosen.

Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this record from Elizabeth with Waldmania! to facilitate my candid review. I was not compensated in any other way for this post. The thoughts and opinions expressed in my review are purely mine. Your experience may differ.