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JennYVarious Artists - New Moon Soundtrack Review
November 21st 2009 19:36
Release date: October 16, 2009
Genre: Soundtrack, Indie rock, Alternative rock
Label: Chop Shop/Atlantic Records
With the Twilight phenomenon taking the world by storm, you didn't think I would ignore New Moon's soundtrack did you? Especially since I reviewed the last one and saw that New Moon made it to the top of the U.S. Billboard. So without further ado, here's a track-by-track review of New Moon's soundtrack.
The album opens with a beautiful ballad by Death Cab For Cutie titled Meet Me On The Equinox. The song is the movie's official single and is a lot more poignant than Paramore's single for the first movie. It actually makes me want to see the movie even though I'm not a Twilight fan.
On Friends, Band of Skulls' lead singer actually sounds like Death Cab For Cutie's Benjamin Gibbard. Their similarity in voice offers some continuity on the album as it prevents the soundtrack from being a mishmash of songs. As for the song itself, it's a decent track but nothing earth-shattering. I guess the best way to put it would be to say that it's a “movie-song,” made to be heard in the background of a scene.
Hearing Damage by Thom Yorke sounds boring at first listen but it grows on you after a couple of repeats. Fans of Radiohead will probably appreciate the track but for those who don't really listen to Radiohead, I would say that Hearing Damage sounds a bit like Beck's work. If you don't know Beck, than I can't really help you.
I was instantly put off by Lykke Li's voice in Possibility but there's something about this track that stops it from being a bad song. I don't know what that is. Maybe it's the haunting blend of piano music and Lykke Li's voice. Maybe it's the overall calming vibe of the song. All I know is that I hated the first verse but fell in love with the song by the end.
A White Demon Love Song by The Killers left me indifferent. I didn't hate it but I didn't love it either. Still, it goes with the overall theme of this album.
Satellite Heart is another beautiful ballad, this time sung by Anya Marina. I really like the indie direction taken with this soundtrack. The songs are deeper and feel more connected to the movie's story than the Twilight songs.
British band Muse breaks the quiet, soothing ballads continuity with a medium-tempo track titled I Belong To You (New Moon Remix). I didn't really like this song. It felt somehow out of place despite the lyrics.
Rosyln by Bon Iver and St. Vincent puts the soundtrack back on the right path. The song reminded me of Coldplay's “Chinese Sleep Chant” only stripped down to an acoustic guitar and the singer's voice.
Done All Wrong by Black Rebel Motorcycle Club also has a Coldplay sound to it. Not the “Clocks” Coldplay mind you, more like the “A Message”/”Til Kingdom Come” Coldplay.
Monsters by Hurricane Bells has a vintage rock sound to it. It's a really fun track, rock'n'roll at its purest form with a nice guitar solo.
The Violet Hour by Sea Wolf is another great indie-rock song. The chorus - “In the dark you tell me of a flower / That only blooms in the violet hour” - easily stays on your mind long after the song is over.
Shooting The Moon by OK Go follows Violet Hour and here again we have a soothing track until the final thirty seconds where the full band kicks in. I don't know if it's just me, but when I listened to this track with headphones on, the big drum came in on one ear, almost drowning the rest of the music coming in the other ear. It was annoying at first, but became tolerable by the first chorus.
I feel like I'm repeating myself on this review but this soundtrack is filled with awesome tracks. Slow Life by Grizzly Bear featuring Victoria Legrand is no different. It's beautiful, soothing, and leaves you feeling content.
No Sound But The Wind by the Editors is a flawless piano ballad. It's probably one of my favorite tracks on the soundtrack just because it sounds more mature.
The soundtrack concludes with a beautiful piano instrumental by Alexandre Desplat titled New Moon (The Meadow). The track reminded of Philip Glass' song called Metamorphosis One which played on an episode of Battlestar Galactica. The two final tracks go very well together and end the soundtrack on the right note.
Few soundtracks (I'm talking soundtracks here not film scores) can pride themselves on being solid records worth putting in any music lover collection. Most of the times, they end up being a collection of singles from different artists looking to support their unreleased tracks. New Moon's soundtracks is one of those solid compilations. Unlike the first one which had big names (Paramore, Linkin Park, Mute Math) but no connection between the songs, New Moon is a continuous flow of great indie rock ballads. From Meet Me On The Equinox to New Moon, there are no bad tracks on this record. I give 4.75/5 only because I didn't really feel Friends and I Belong To You. It's a great album if you're looking to discover more indie artists.
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