Saturday, October 10, 2009

Karen O & the Kids - Where the Wild Things Are


Hipsters are still trying to collect themselves from the news that not only was auteur Spike Jonze handling directing credits for the children's classic Where the Wild Things Are but also the fact that the script was being drafted by celebrated author Dave Eggers. And just when that news had settled then came the next bomb; Karen O and her hip friends were taking soundtrack credits. Whew. The impressive thing here is that Karen O (along with, among others, her fellow Yeah Yeah Yeahs members) has once again created something fresh and new that wildly varies from the YYY's It's Blitz! release from earlier this year. The soundtrack to Where the Wild Things Are plays like the book reads. You can keep up with the story line merely by listening to this album. And much like soundtracks, the song titles give the listener an idea of what kind of track they are in store for (just imagine what "Rumpus" and "Animal" sound like...). The songs here, which sound like folky kids songs for adults, roll along smoothly from one to the next. The album's atmosphere can be established with the first track "All Is Love." The song is an acoustic driven track with Karen and some children singing of love over a bouncey rhythm. Even when things get a little "mature" as on the piano ballad "Worried Shoes," the song is presented in a lullaby-type manner (which takes away from the somber lyrics). Karen O and company (er, the Kids) have taken an event (that the creation of this film has become) and made something that can be held next to it and not dwarfed in it's presence.

3.9/5.0

No comments:

Post a Comment