After the soundtrack for ‘Twilight’ sold more than two million copies (a deed not easily done in the age of illegal downloading,) it’s no wonder why so many bands jumped to put their names in the running to be on the soundtrack for ‘New Moon.’
Released more than a month before the movie is slated to win the hearts of every ‘tween’ girl on Team Edward or Team Jacob, ‘The Twilight Saga: New Moon (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)’ has a different demographic audience in mind.
A slew of indie names (both well-known and not so much) are lined up on the album’s tracklisting, but unlike that of the ‘Twilight’ soundtrack, it has less of a pop edge within.
The collection of songs have one common trait, and they all set the listener up for a tale that follows a teenage human torn between the affection of a vampire and a werewolf.
The lead single and album opener ‘Meet Me On The Equinox’ by Death Cab for Cutie is the strongest track by far, blowing all the others out of the water. The lyrics are nothing short of perfection for the saga’s second installment, including lines like ‘let me give my love to you, let me take your hand. And as we walk in the dimming light, oh darling, understand, that everything, everything ends.’ From the intriguing opening notes to Benjamin Gibbard’s smooth, powerful voice, the tune is a masterpiece and won’t disappoint even the most die-hard Twilight fans.
Other sing-along fun is embedded in songs like Band Of Skulls’ ‘Friends,’ ‘Monsters’ by Hurricane Bells and Muse’s ‘I Belong To You,’ newly spiced up and remixed for the new album.
The album features calm, cool and collected songs like Radiohead vocalist Thom Yorke’s solo act ‘Hearing Damage’ and ‘A White Demon Love Song’ by The Killers, as well as haunting lullabies like ‘Possibility’ by Lykke Li, ‘Satellite Heart’ by Anya Maria and Bon Iver ‘amp; St. Vincent’s ‘Rosyln.’
It’s a solid album, as it evenly distributes the different types of tunes across the span of fifteen tracks. It may have lost its appeal among the young ‘Twilight’ soundtrack fans by ditching on using previous hit-makers Paramore, Linkin Park and Rob Pattinson, but it’s earning an older, more mature audience with its more indie feel.
The deluxe edition features the stellar ‘Solar Midnite’ by Lupe Fiasco, while both versions include the instrumental ‘New Moon (The Meadow)’ by Alexandre Desplat, which features four minutes of piano obviously setting up a certain scene in the upcoming movie.
No two songs sound the same, and that is the beauty of this album. It will leave any human dying to sink his or her teeth into it.
