Lullatone

Lullatone is the Nagoya, Japan-based musical duo, Shawn James Seymour and Yoshimi Tomada. Using children’s instruments, household items, and everyday sounds, they create bright beats and cheerful melodies that they refer to as “tiny songs.” Chances are, you’ve heard bits of their happy tunes before, but their full albums are where the magic lies. My favorite, Soundtracks for Everyday Adventures, includes song titles like, “Going to Buy Some Strawberries” and “Riding a Bike Down a Big Hill and Taking your Feet Off of the Pedals.” Each song is like a mini soundtrack to the simple everyday things that make life exciting.

Most of their songs have no words or lyrics, so the music is truly for all ages. The songs can evoke sweet memories, or make-believe worlds, or simply bring a bright and happy mood. I love that when I listen to it I immediately start making up imaginary stories in my head to go along with the music.

Lullatone has also made videos to accompany their songs and have branched out into making musical apps so you can write your own “tiny songs.”