Barnes & Noble
Who lives in a pineapple under the sea? Spongebob Squarepants! Who compiles the best hipster soundtrack CD? Spongebob Squarepants! Thanks to creator-writer-director Stephen Hillenberg and Karyn Rachman (Pulp Fiction), the audio accompaniment to Spongebob's silver-screen debut assembles zippy original songs featured in and inspired by the film and delivered by alt-rock mainstays, alongside the singing sponge and his goofy pals. Avril Lavigne gets the party started with her punk-pop version of the theme song (sure to become a new tween fave) before psych-rockers the Flaming Lips take over with the spacey "Spongebob and Patrick Confront the Psychic Wall of Energy." Indie-rock darlings the Shins shine on the melodic and bouncy "They'll Soon Discover," Wilco unleash a rant about wanting to be "Just a Kid," and Ween's quirky "Ocean Man" honors the seafaring life with a jangling tune and slowed-down, warped sounding vocals. From there, the Sponge's offerings get more diverse, most intriguingly Motörhead's grinding metal anthem "You Better Swim," and rap demi-royalty Prince Paul's "Prince Paul's Bubble Party," which suggests the twang and tang of a luau. Boasting both style and substance, this is more than a kiddie album. Parents, take the plunge and soak up the fun - this clever soundtrack is worth it.
Amy Barkat
All Music Guide
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
Rolling Stone
Seriously subversive. Barry Walters