Karen O infuses childlike wonder in “Where the Wild Things Are” soundtrack

By Kelsey Shea

“Where the Wild Things Are” Original Soundtrack

Karen O and The Kids

Interscope… “Where the Wild Things Are” Original Soundtrack

Karen O and The Kids

Interscope Records

Rocks like: Karen O and The Juno Soundtrack

Grade: A

Just in case “Where the Wild Things Are,” wasn’t creating enough hipster frenzy, the movie soundtrack, courtesy of Karen O and the Kids, just added some more fuel to the fire.

Karen O, frontwoman of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, supplies the movie with a jaunty and energetic — but still somewhat haunting — soundtrack that sets a wild kind of mood.

An untrained and noisy choir of children provides upbeat chanting and singing on the album to back up Karen O, which on top of adding a unique element to the album, reminds us older listeners that this is, in fact, a children’s movie.

The album’s clanky freak-folk sound with a heavy dose of the xylophone and the acoustic guitar give it a decidedly “Juno”-like feel without trying to copy its incredibly successful soundtrack.

Lines from the movie and the titles of the songs make it pretty clear where the songs appear in the movie and lets listeners know exactly when to “let the wild rumpus start!”

Because it’s both whimsical and wild, the “Where the Wild Things Are” soundtrack will appeal to audiences of all ages and get kids started on a proper indie upbringing.