The City of Soundsville
Music From The Powerpuff Girls
Kid Rhino
Cue Narrator: “The City of Townsville! A vibrant and colorful community!” And also home of some of the hippest music ever to grace a cartoon. Unlike last year’s brilliant Heroes & Villains, which found some of the coolest bands on the underground scene doing Powerpuff Girls-themed songs and telling a story, The City of Soundsville takes the fantastic theme and incidental music from the show (courtesy of composers James L. Venable, Steven Rucker, and Thomas Chase) and remixes it into 17 techno/dance anthems that wouldn’t be out of place on any dance floor, complete with plentiful dialogue samples from the show. And as the Mayor of Townsville says on his eponymous track, “This techno music is dope!” Each track perfectly matches the character or setting it describes. For example, each of The Girls’ tracks are variations on the show’s opening theme, but Blossom’s is all percolating busy-ness, while Buttercup’s is fuly of hard rock guitar thrash, and Bubbles’ is delightfully child-like. Other highlights include The Boogie Man’s appropriately funky track, Fuzzy Lumpkins’ twang-fest, the Professor’s driving, high-tech theme, and Princess’s swanky melodrama. Even the über-catchy closing theme by Bis gets a reworking. Highly recommended to fans of both the show and intelligent electronica; “and once again, the day [and your CD collection] is saved, thanks to The Powerpuff Girls!”
Rhino Records, 10635 Santa Monica Blvd., Los Angeles Ca 90025-4900; http://www.kidrhino.com, http://www.cartoonnetwork.com