Music Review: Music from the O.C. Mix 2
What Parents Should Know
The TV show is too mature for tweens, but you can let your
older kids listen to the soundtrack without worrying about the
messages they're receiving. How refreshing to hear a TV
soundtrack filled with emerging and lesser-known musicians!
Point out to your kids that there is musical life beyond the
Top-40, and enjoy this wonderful compilation. Then find
everyone's favorite cuts and go get the latest releases from
each of this CD's fine featured artists.
Fox Television's The O.C. (for "Orange County") has become known as a showcase for some of the most innovative new music around today. MIX 2 features music from the second half of the first season and the beginning of the second season of this wildly popular teen drama. Instead of looking to mainstream processed pop for inspiration, the producers of The O.C. use songs by emerging indie-rock artists to populate their soundtracks and help move their plots along. The idea is simple and brilliant; the show's young audience is exposed to wonderful new acts they might never hear otherwise, and the mix CDs are a musical breath of fresh air.
This one boasts three exclusive tracks: Jem's drop-dead gorgeous cover of Paul McCartney's "Maybe I'm Amazed" and Nada Surf's cover of OMD's "If You Leave" were both recorded specifically for this series; there's also a live version of the Walkman's "Little House of Savages." An Interpol song, "Specialist," is only otherwise available on an expensive import. Other notable contributors include The Killers, Death Cab for Cutie, Super Furry Animals, and the Eels, whose guitar-fueled "Saturday Morning" kicks off the whole event.
Despite cutesy death references in some of the band names, most of the song lyrics are young-TV-audience safe and not disturbing, living proof that it really is possible to write interesting songs without using words that you're not allowed to say at Grandma's house. Liner notes fold out into a cute little poster. It's all good.
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