The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie: Music From the Movie and More does a great job of emphasizing everything that made the Nickelodeon series' spirit and music so distinctive. Featuring new songs featuring SpongeBob and his starfish sidekick Patrick, and tracks by artists like
Ween and
the Flaming Lips, the album appeals to SpongeBob fans of all ages, and just as importantly, lets the movie's sense of fun and camaraderie shine through. Some of the best of the songs by guest artists comment on the film's goings-on:
the Lips' bubbly-yet-philosophical "SpongeBob & Patrick Confront the Psychic Wall of Energy" and
the Shins' winding, jangly "They'll Soon Discover" -- which is nearly as good as anything on
Chutes Too Narrow -- both touch on the theme of growing up that runs through the movie.
Wilco's "Just a Kid" does the same, and while its backing chorus of kids might be too literal, the song's
Who-like charging guitars and harmonies are appropriately cute and energetic. Other songs lend plenty of atmosphere by incorporating elements of surf, Hawaiian music, and sea shanties, like the slack-key guitar-meets-hip-hop fusion of "Prince Paul's Bubble Party"; the chugging blues-metal of
Motörhead's "You Better Swim";
Electrocute's cheeky synth pop description of "Bikini Bottom" and
Ween's "Ocean Man" (a vintage track from 1997's
The Mollusk, but it's still a perfect fit with the rest of the soundtrack's quirky aquatic pop). The minds behind SpongeBob SquarePants' original music should get their due as well, particularly for "The Best Day Ever," an idealistic number featuring SpongeBob and
Beach Boys-like symphonic pop. Patrick's ode to his house, "Under My Rock," and irresistibly silly songs like "The Goofy Goober Song" and "Now That We're Men" keep the soundtrack fun from start to finish. Like the other SpongeBob SquarePants albums,
The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie: Music From the Movie and More is both a witty soundtrack and a hip children's album with wide-ranging appeal. ~ Heather Phares