Mucilage glue, with its crackled rubber applicator tip; Chinese jumprope; Lolly’s adverbs: Every so often, life will trigger a fantastically ordinary childhood memory. Details that dotted the background when I was growing up suddenly seem special, even delightful, like direct connections to my previous younger self.

Dean Jones, one of my favorite musicians, takes that sense of time travel to a whole new level. The music that he creates – both as a solo artist as well as in his band Dog on Fleas, with John Hughes and Chris Cullo – is so true to the energy of childhood because he still really gets the mind and the world of a child. And they do it in such a fun, playful and honest way: “Actually, the only agenda the Fleas have is to make good music for decent people. And for you, too.”