Categories : Music Reviews, Rock + Pop, Top Rated.
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Rating: 4 / 5 Reviewer: Lukas Clark-Memler |
The album commences with a whispered request for a story, and so begins the daring and mesmerising musical accompaniment to the timeless story, Where the Wild Things Are. Karen O, of Yeah Yeah Yeahs fame, put together an ensemble cast of indie superstars performing together under the moniker Karen O and The Kids, which includes her Yeah Yeah Yeahs band mates and members of The Dead Weather, Deerhunter, The Raconteurs and Liars. Also featured is a children’s choir to contribute some youthful soundscapes.
Perhaps the most remarkable aspect of the album is its versatility and wide spectrum of material. The polarities of children’s emotions are explored – from roars and shrieks of utter pre-adolescent abandon, to morose pleas of belonging and betrayal. The nostalgia and naïveté of Maurice Sendak’s tale is captured beautifully, and even the most cynical listener has to be impressed with Karen O’s aptitude for relating to her inner youngster. Karen captures the exuberance and bewilderment of youth, along with the joy and sorrows. She creates music that reminds us of a time when the world was a limitless place, and impossible was simply an unidentifiable word in the dictionary. And she does it in a way that will speak to children and satisfy adults – a difficult endeavour, and she pulls it off with flying colours.
Though the album plays seamlessly, the standout track is ‘All Is Love.’ Karen O’s vocals mix and intertwine with yelps from children, against a backdrop of ebullient guitar lines. It’s a rambunctious playground chant, as much as it is a majestic display of unadulterated optimism; a song that revels in purity and innocence without recourse to self-righteousness.
Importantly, the Where the Wild Things Are soundtrack holds its own as an entity separate from the movie. It captures the raw emotions of Sendak’s beloved tale, and brings them to a different medium without losing effect – and adding some newfound passion and joy along the way.
