As a kid, when I read Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak, my imagination rolled with scenes from the story. The book, which is about a land where a boy was exactly where he wanted to be and the king of his own people, was every kids dream. While my imagination spun with ideas of what this place would be like for me, the music I’d played in this place never came to mind.
Although I have yet to see the Where the Wild Things Are film, a movie based on your favorite book can be disappointing because you’ve already formed specific images in your mind of what the setting and scene would be like visually. However, with music there is less of a standard. Normally, our minds work visually not audibly so when I heard the Where the Wild Things Are Soundtrack, it was everything I would have heard in my imagination when reading the book probably because I had no preconceived ideas.
With tracks full of care-free, wild, and rambunctious music, the images from Where the Wild Things Are truly come to life. The unique sound exhibited in this soundtrack is largely a result of the Yeah Yeah Yeah’s lead singer, Karen O’s vocal attitude. Her quirky, almost child-like, voice on the soundtrack was exactly what a movie like Where the Wild Things Are needed for the imagery of the movie.
Every track has a hazy but still upbeat feeling that is also found in Karen O’s work with the Yeah Yeah Yeah’s. As Karen O’s first soundtrack, the Where the Wild Things Are Soundtrack is different than most as it doesn’t compile tracks from various artists.
The entire soundtrack is done with Karen O’s vocals and writing, which conveys this dreamlike, seamless message that is central to the story. Some of the tracks contain or focus on sound bites from the movie and a kid chorus.
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