The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie: Music From the Movie and More (CD - 2004)

Personnel: Dee Bradley Baker, Carlos Alazraqui (vocals); Corky Hale (harp); Steve Hillenburg (ukulele); Michael Andreas, Mike Miller (flute); Tom Kenny, Jillinda Palmer, Andy Paley (background vocals).

Audio Mixers: Dave Fridmann; Mickey Petralia; Peter Cobbin; Flaming Lips; Tom Rothrock.

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

In making his leap from television to the big screen, the beloved SpongeBob SquarePants gets his own movie soundtrack. This collection of songs perfectly captures the wacky underwater vibe of both the animated film and its TV series, starting off with a revved-up rendition of the "SpongeBob SquarePants Theme" by Avril Lavigne. SpongeBob and other residents of Bikini Bottom get their own moments in the musical spotlight; our porous yellow hero belts out the uplifting "The Best Day Ever," while his pink starfish friend Patrick leads a British Invasion-style ode to his favorite stone on "Under My Rock."

In addition to Lavigne, other high-profile musical guests on board include the Flaming Lips, who meld their quirky aesthetic with the film's on "SpongeBob & Patrick Confront the Psychic Wall of Energy;" Wilco, who contributes the upbeat "Just a Kid;" and the Shins, who offer up the breezy "They'll Soon Discover." Perhaps the most surprising moment comes in the form of Motorhead's lumbering "You Better Swim," which rides a wave of blues-inflected metal, and is sure to entertain both kids and former-metalhead parents. minimize