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SpongeBob SquarePants: Music from the Movie and More

With its uniquely bizarre name alone, SpongeBob SquarePants is way ahead of the game with the concept of bringing in the kids by getting the parents hooked. And looking at the roster of contributors to the new movie’s soundtrack, the parents have one more reason to join the fun: The Flaming Lips, Wilco, The Shins, Ween, Avril Lavigne, the Dust Brothers’ Mike Simpson and Motorhead! Add in the songs featuring the movie’s characters, SpongeBob and his starfish buddy Patrick, and this wildly varied mix is something mom will want to listen to even when the kids aren’t around. The common thread here is immediacy. Beginning with Lavigne calling out, “Are your ready kids!?!” on her call-to-fun, amped-up, poppy-punk rendition of the SpongeBob theme, you can start singing along with each song almost on the first listen. Even the more ornate offerings by the Flaming Lips, Wilco and The Shins keep it simple with their laid-back pop. My fave this week: Patrick’s out-of-key homage to where he lives, “Under My Rock.”