Album Notes

The brainchild of composer/sonic artist Frank Pahl of Wyandotte, little bang theory's musical explorations are performed entirely on children's instruments and toys. The three members (Frank, Terri Sarris, Doug Shimmin) sat around a table covered with brightly colored hand bells, crank-operated music box thingies, toy pianos and xylophones. I was impressed by the shear amount of activity going on. It doesn't take much musical know-how to play a familiar tune on a toy piano. But little bang theory's members are constantly picking up new instruments, so the music constantly shifts. It wasn't unusual for someone to be playing a melodica with one hand, a metallophone with the other & stomping on percussion under the table with the feet. To my indie-pop-obsessed ears, it sounded a bit like Beirut, Andrew Bird (especially with Pahl's accomplished whistling) & "Pet Sounds" -- but, you know, with toys.
– Bill Chapin

The result could have been the soundtrack to a Dr. Seuss story. Between these three imaginative minstrels there was more soul than the Chicago Symphony Orchestra mashed up with the whole of the Disney repertoire.
– Kat Bawden

Pablo Picasso once called himself king of the ragpickers. Straddling the worlds of visual and aural arts, embracing old music boxes, tube amplifiers, rotisserie grill motors, toys and such, Frank Pahl is, at the very least, among the bric-a-brac royalty. – W. Kim Heron