Maurice Sendak’s legendary children’s book, Where the Wild Things Are, was carefully crafted – words and illustrations bringing a story to life. Similarly, Karen O and the Kids’ original soundtrack for the recently released full-length movie is artfully crafted. Karen O is better known as the frontwoman of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs but makes a bold change as the composer for the soundtrack. Karen O has a range of talent making up the “kids” from actual children singing to various “grown-up” professional artists (see the line-up here).
At first listen, one wonders if this is really a children’s album. With the dreamy and stylish instrumentals and the almost-melancholy undertones, it is definitely a departure from traditional children’s music. The soundtrack seems to be a reflection of the emotions a child is sure to experience – joy, fear, love, excitement but not necessarily what is expected from a children’s album. The titles of the songs aptly represent the emotion that is sure to be elicited from listening -Hideaway is melancholy, Animal is wild, Worried Shoes is nervous. Interestingly, Rumpus is a hyper, crazy romp while Rumpus Reprise is the same thing only with adult supervision. Karen O can be credited with capturing the complexity of what seems to be something quite simple. Through her music she is able to bring to life emotions that a child would feel navigating the big world while in other songs the feeling of comfort from a loving parent is interwoven.
All is Love seems to be the standout with its appealing light-hearted sound. As for the rest of the soundtrack, it may not seem like a likely pick for your kids but if you listen carefully, you might just find yourself…and your child. You can find the album streaming here.
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Anna is primarily found playing at home with her three year old son and pining for her husband who is busy in law school. She fits in a few hours of work from home on the side and tries not to feel guilty when she doesn’t update her blog. A native of Salt Lake City, UT she is still hoping that a Café Rio will open where she now resides in Indianapolis, IN. Anna is a book snob, loves stretchy pants and gets her news from either NPR or The Daily Show. Anna can be found at her blogOhh, Betsy! and on Twitter @ohhbetsy.
