An old-fashioned lullaby is the tried and true tool for helping babies peacefully drift off to sleep, but does it have to be old-fashioned? Can a lullaby be a re-invented, ambient mix of toy instruments, shuffling slippers, water drops, and J-pop that plays in a seamless loop? Why, yes, it can!

When Shawn James Seymour moved from Kentucky to Japan to be with his girlfriend, Yoshimi Tomida, he had trouble sleeping at night. In the wee hours he began composing lullabies using whatever he could find around him for instruments: xylophones, music boxes, toy drums, wood blocks, pillows.

Now Shawn and Yoshimi are Lullatone, a self-described Pajama Pop band. Check out their website and itunes for their lullabies. They also do workshops and exhibits of their unconventional musical creations (look at this super-cool perpetual melody maker machine), and Shawn appears on a weekly Japanese tv show to teach children how to make their own musical instruments like this paper roll xylophone.

Clearly we aren't Lullatone's only fans. Commercial clients for whom they've composed melodies include Chanel, the MoMA, Wallpaper Magazine, AOL, and Hello Kitty. With such a busy schedule, we hope Shawn is sleeping much better at night nowadays.

Discover Lullatones for yourself!