After the Foley artist, the soundtrack composer runs a close second in my sound-centric heart. In animated films, such music often supplies both the score and the Foley effects, giving characters their unrealized leitmotivs and drawing emotion out of potentially stagnant scenes. On Fetch!, a collection of pieces composed and performed for short animation by Nik Phelps and the Sprocket Ensemble, you can practically hear rubber balls bouncing across the titular song. Over the course of the record, the Ensemble draws tongue-wagging dogs with steel guitar and clarinet, colors insufferable felines with flute and cello, paints children fighting with water-phones, and enlivens wise men with violins. Fetch! bounds through live and Studio recordings of classical, jazz, klezmer, and Western styles - all highlighted by decidedly 'toony tones - offering true delights for fans of the Lounge Lizards or Henry Mancini.

Silke Tudor,
SF Weekly