Tunes Inspired By 'Toons: Part 1

Let's start with an admission: I have never seen 'The Powerpuff Girls.' That said, I'm absolutely sure I would get along with series creator Craig McCracken. The songs on 'Heroes & Villains,' for the most part, weren't actually on the cartoon. The compilation was assembled by McCracken because, as he put it, "I love these bands, and listening to their music inspires my own work." In other words, he got his favorite artists to write songs about his show. How cool is that? It turns out several of McCracken's favorites are mine, too.

I bought this package, in particular, for the Sugarplastic song. The L.A. power-pop outfit is not exactly prolific. So, you get a hold of their work wherever you can. If you like Komeda, you may own a different version of this song from their last album, 'Kokomemedada.' In my opinion, the 'Powerpuff' take is better, but I like them both. Finally, if you spent any time watching Cartoon Network around the time of this 2000 release, chances are you have heard the Apples In Stereo song. They used to play the music video for 'Signal In The Sky' (see below) between programs quite a bit. 'Heroes & Villains' is, sadly, out of print, but you can still pick up used copies here.

Devo - Go Monkey Go (mp3)
Frank Black - Pray For The Girls (mp3)
The Apples In Stereo - Signal In The Sky (Let's Go) (mp3)
Komeda - B.L.O.S.S.O.M. (mp3)
The Sugarplastic - Don't Look Down (mp3)