ALBUM REVIEWS

Karen O and the Kids WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE OST POLYDOR 28.9.09 @www.vanguard-online.co.uk Official soundtracks have a difficult job, they need to satisfy two distinct groups of listeners. They need to be able to add audible value to the visuals of the movie but they also need to stand alone as an album in their own right and I believe that Karen O And The Kids has achieved the first but missed the mark with the second. The book ‘Where The Wild Things Are’ is a well known children story for at least two generations of my family and the soundtrack portrays the innocent childlike charm of the story and you can visualise the scenes as the album proceeds but as an audible experience on its own, it’s instantly forgettable. The songs are littered with sound bites from the film and Karen O’s lyrics are both passionate and haunting but attention has been given to the soundtrack aspects of the album as the expense of a recording worth keeping after you have left the cinema. I’ll probably take my kids to the movie and by all accounts they have done a fine job in recreating the magic of the book and the soundtrack is a critical part of the magic but away from the big screen it doesn’t stand up to much scrutiny and in the end won’t stand the test of time as the movie should. Simon Mulholland www.myspace.com/wherethewildthingsare Email Links & Comments to the editor Check the latest album releases