One of my favorite albums is a celebration of "The Powerpuff Girls" called Heroes and Villains." The cartoon's creator picked 11 bands that could match the cartoon's ironic and hip tone - and each one of them turned in a fantastic song. The album was produced by Mark Mothersbaugh and Bob Casale from Devo, and they inject an excitement into every track. And in between every song, there's a snippet of the Powerpuff Girls, repelling an attack from the villainous Mojo Jojo.

The album combines great music with the Powerpuff Girls brand. It opens with the cartoon's theme song, as the familiar narrator describes the city before suddenly spotting the oncoming attack. ("Oh no! Mojo Jojo is destroying Townsville!") But the sound of sirens segues into Devo's first new song in over a decade - "Go Monkey, Go" - with an ominously descending synthesizer line and a chorus that calls out to the rampaging supervillain. The Pixies' Frank Black sings a fast, urgent number about scared animals and their prophetic dreams in "Better Pray for the Girls." Every band is terrific - and every band is singing about the Powerpuff Girls.

The indie bands create an appropriately "mod" sound for their energetic tributes to the show's character. Shonen Knife's playful style makes them the perfect choice for a peppy rocker called "Buttercup (I'm a Super Girl)." The Swedish band Komeda spells out "B-l-o, double-S o m" in a driving dance loop (which ends with the Powerpuff Girl saying "You're just plain mean, Mojo.") Dressy Bessy delivers a fast, breezy song called "Bubbles," and their guitarist's other band, Apples in Stereo, contributed a great song about the trio springing into action. "Signal in the Sky" delivers a bouncy 60s sound, and each line of the chorus ends with a shout - "Let's Go."

The Powerpuff Girls had been a top-rated show on the Cartoon Network for just two years when this album came out, and there's a fresh enthusiasm that unites the songs. It's ultimately very upbeat, just like the TV show. ("Mojo, when will you learn?" one of the girls says at the end. "The Powerpuff Girls never lose.") A track called "The Fight" mixes clips of the show's characters and narrator, leading to a fast balled called "Friends Win."

And of course, the album closes with the Powerpuff Girls theme.

Learn more about this author, Moe Zilla.
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