Turn up the volume with these two Alice in Wonderland soundtracks

Tim Burton's 3D blockbuster boasts a pair of musical treats.

Sometimes it’s just not enough to have one soundtrack for a movie. Sometimes you need two and that’s exactly what we’ve got with Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland. The offbeat director’s quirky and colourful reimagining of the classic Lewis Carroll children’s classic has been a box office phenomenon this year, with folks of all ages joining Alice (Mia Wasikowska) in her wanderings around Underland. And having helped you cram your closets with the stunning tie-in tees, glam up with the gorgeous make-up and dazzle in the jewellery, we’re now taking on your iPod with the movie’s must-have music.

So what do you fancy listening to? If you’re a Burton purist with a soft spot for the distinctive gothic stylings of his long-time collaborator, film composer, Danny Elfman, then there’s the classical score soundtrack. This is the music heard in the movie and is just as magical and other-worldly as we’ve come to expect from Elfman with his trademark choirs and East-European sounds. It fits perfectly with the weird and unpredictable world, switching easily between slow and mysterious to frantic and fast-paced, always suiting whichever crazy character Alice meets next.

There are 24 tracks in total, some of which are reprises of earlier themes (the delicate choral beauty of “Alice’s Theme” a real stand-out), but if you haven’t seen the movie maybe it’s best not to look too closely at the listing (as always, it’s a bit of a giveaway to the film’s plot). It makes a fantastic companion to the barmy Burton blockbuster, however if you’re looking for something with a bit more punch and sing-along fun, there’s also the “Almost Alice” collection.

Packed with top rock, pop and indie stars, the album is a really interesting, unusual and eclectic mix inspired by the movie. It kicks off with the Avril Lavigne single, “Underground Alice” which, unlike all the other songs actually snags some screentime playing over the film’s end credits. And Avril is joined by current hot property, Owl City who join the party with “The Technicolor Phase” which is just as electro-whimsical as we’ve come to expect from the chart-toppers and there’s further poppiness with “Follow Me Down” from 3OH!3 featuring Neon Hitch and “Where’s My Angel” by Metro Station.

Mark Hoppus and Pete Wentz’s much talked about collaboration, “In Transit” seems quite mellow and introspective for the punky rockers and perhaps a bit more Blink 182 (on a quiet day) than Fall Out Boy, while adding a tougher rock edge are Wolfmother with “Fell Down a Hole” and Shinedown with the anthemic “Her Name is Alice”. Perhaps the most successful in working that Burton/ Elfman vibe are Plain White T’s with “Welcome to Mystery” and Franz Ferdinand’s “The Lobster Quadrille” which is word-for-word loyal to an original Alice poem as spoken by the Mock Turtle.

However, the true stand-out for me is Robert Smith’s version of “Very Good Advice”, the cute ditty Alice sings to herself in the 1951 Disney version of the story. Spot on! And if you get the Hot Topic CD (reduced from $13.99 to $9.99 at the mo), the 16-track collection is boosted by three exciting bonus tracks from Never Shout Never, Family Force 5 and Valora. Or if you’re more into digital downloads, the iTunes one has two different extra songs, one being Elfman’s “Alice’s Theme”, the other the brilliantly titled “You Are Old, Father William” by They Might Be Giants.

Fantastic for furthering your Wonderland adventure.