The Kids of the Future...
The future looks alright! Dastardly evil still exists (two words: bowler hat), but it's good to know that hope, excitement and longing for family overcomes problems not yet invented today. Musically, we're thrilled to hear Danny Elfman, Rufus Wainright and They Might Be Giants still belting out music in 2037. The sound of futuristic music is scatterbrained upon first listen, but we then realize this is appropriate after considering a world accentuated by dinosaurs, bespectacled dogs, octopuses and singing frogs. You may have heard "Little Wonders" from Rob Thomas by now - released in January, it's the lead single off the Meet the Robinsons soundtrack CD (Disney), a near-hour long album mix of pop/rock songs and Elfman's retro-fitted, energized score for the family of the future. Fresh off of scoring Charlotte's Web, Elfman's new opening credit music resembles that of Web's, but obviously gets its energy from different sources and swiftly becomes the fun and comedic menace that it is. A few of the songs hint of futurism - AAR's "The Future Has Arrived" starts with a robot vocal, but recedes quickly back to AAR's classic pop punk sound; Wainwright's "Another Believer" gets a late and brief moog-like groove; They Might Be Giants' cover of "There's a Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow" includes a theremin, or is it a female soloist? Leave it to the Giants to use one instrument to sound like another. The Jonas Brothers "Kids of the Future" rocks the new youngsters with a sound that will shock 'em as they get older and discover the song's inspiration from a really old movie (West Side Story). The only worry Disney has caused us with their musical forecast is an absent voice from those who keep the boys in check: the girls! Is Disney's own overdoing of the Cheetah Girls today distinguishing all flickers of tomorrow's hope for girls to sing and play instruments?
PK (3/19/2007)see all reviews, or add a review
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