Ever since the exquisite trailer emerged online the excitement for the Spike Jonze directed movie ‘Where The Wild Things Are’ has been palpable. The big-screen adaptation of the much loved kids book cemented its uber-cool status however when they announced that the soundtrack was to be scored by none other than New Yorks finest, Karen O. The Yeah Yeah Yeah’s front woman is a former squeeze of the films director and added to the family feel by recruiting a number of musician friends for the project. Going under the name ‘The Kids’ this group includes Bradford Cox of Deerhunter, Daniel Johnston and Nick Zinner of Karen’s day job band Yeah Yeah Yeah’s.
Together they have created a wide reaching and expansive album that feels appropriately cinematic but at the same time something that is intimate, naive and child like. The vamp trappings of songs like ‘Bang’ or ‘Date With The Night’ are banished here in favour of giddy sugar charged gallops and fragile lullabies showcasing Karen’s delicate and unique vocals. Whilst the most professional and complete outing yet this is not however the first time Karen O has struck out solo. Hardcore fans and completists will have the leaked lo-fi home demo’s album which though challenging in its scruffiness hinted at the more quirky outlook of Karen O’s solo work whilst fans of Adidas commercials will remember the song ‘Whenever I Wake Up’ which Miss O recorded in 2006. Knowledge of these more pared down outings as well as the gentler moments of Yeah Yeah Yeah’s back catalogue will put you in mind of where this soundtrack is pitched.
The lead single and first full song on the record is ‘All Is Love’, a chanted and exuberant sing along that sounds like a deleted scene from a particularly magical edition of Sesame Street. The sickly sweet charm of this song will appal some but to those it seduces it’s audible hugs and the sound of running down hills and doing somersaults on bouncy castles. The sound of Ritalin being thrown in the bin continues with the clapping beat and distorted riffs of ‘Capsize’ (the closest this album comes to Yeah Yeah Yeah’s territory) and ‘Rumpus’. The latter of these is another song accompanied by a full kids choir and even comes with its own reprise.
As the album progresses things get more into the traditional sense of a film score with large musical interludes and sections (‘Sailing Home’, ‘Lost Fur’) you assume will be cut or looped to create atmosphere during them film. Quite how this soundtrack will bleed through to the full movie is an intriguing and puzzling question that will no doubt provide amazing answers. There are veritable feasts of joy to be sprinkled over a film we already know to be visually stunning- the wait for it’s full release just got more excruciating.
MP3: Karen 0 and The Kids- 'All Is Love'7/10
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1 comments:
This just gets better and better!! I thought the film (under the expert direction of Spike Jonze) was exciting enough. Now with Karen O's contribution it's even more exciting. Any idea of the Uk release date?
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