WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE ost - Karen O & The Kids
WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE ost - Karen O & The Kids
Written by Sarah Mudgway   
Tuesday, 17 November 2009 20:53
Where The Wild Things Are official soundtrack Creating the perfect soundtrack to sonically capture a film is not an easy task, especially when that film is the visual representation of a book which has captured the hearts of so many.

'WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE' is an institution when it comes to books, and Karen O is an institution when it comes to music.

O is known for her in-your-face, energetic and at times obnoxious role as leading lady of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs.

Admittedly, at first I wasn’t convinced Karen O was the right person for the job... but after listening to the magic-in-music she has created, I can no longer envision the film with anything other than the music found in this soundtrack.
To compose the fourteen tracks which director Spike Jonze has stated will play a heavy role in the film, O enlisted the help of friends and respected musicians whom she believed had the musical and creative talent to help her create the perfect sound to match the vision. Dubbed KAREN O AND THE KIDS; these kids include members of Deerhunter, The Dead Weather, The Raconteurs, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Queens of the Stone Age and an untrained children’s choir. An indie lovers musical dream, mixed with raw talent and an inspiring story... well, it’s Where The Wild Things Are.

‘All Is Love’ and later track ‘Building All Is Love’ are brilliantly constructed pieces of musical delight, reminiscent of a hopeful Arcade Fire, while slower tracks such as ‘Worried Shoes’ and ‘Hopeful’ are stripped down and bare, being playful yet haunting at the same time. O’s sultry and toned down voice shines brightest in these minimalistic tracks, where simplicity really finds its home.

‘Rumpus’ starts off with sound bytes from the film, “You are now the King, and you will be a truly great King...” before a tribal drumbeat leads us into uplifting anthem filled of hope and childlike innocence. As well as being a great piece of music, the seamless transition from song to sound byte is impressive, and creates an emotionally heavy yet uplifting musical journey.

The combination of some of the most well known and respected musicians of our time, mixed with the innocence and vulnerability of the children's choir and of course the content of the film; the result is not only a stunning soundscape which serves as a forty minute uplifting preview for the film, but will easily slot in nicely as the soundtrack to a lazy Sunday morning.
 

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