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Judging by his complete score for
The Rugrats, it's clear that Mark Mothersbaugh isn't afraid to have a little fun when composing his soundtracks. This disc gathers 35 tracks of original score music from the movie--a strange and wonderful mix of familiar soundtrack themes (
Indiana Jones, anyone?), playful sound effects inspired by Carl Stalling, and epic symphonic passages (thanks to the London Metropolitan Orchestra). It's hard not to laugh during the harpsichord passage of "Monkey Circus Ad" or smile after stumbling upon excerpts of
Also Sprach Zarathustra in "Salvation on a Bridge," a tune that somehow flows between Strauss, an all-too-brief accordion solo, and full fledged rock & roll. Somehow, it all works gloriously together. Mothersbaugh's score--released almost a year after the movie's release--was clearly worth the wait. Excellent.
--Jason Verlinde