Music Review: The Twilight Saga: New Moon Soundtrack
What Parents Should Know
Parents need to know that there are some haunting sounds on
this CD, full of melancholy and woe, but nothing that would
pose an issue for teens or even tweens for that matter. This
soundtrack is in fact more suitable for younger kids than
either the
Twilight book series or the
Twilight movie. That's good news for kids clamoring to
get in on the teen fan frenzy, and this might be a good
starting point for introducing the saga. There are a few
references to love, death and feeling blue, but nothing too
depressing.
So hotly anticipated that its release date was pushed up nearly a week, THE TWILIGHT SAGA: NEW MOON - ORIGINAL MOTION PICTURE SOUNDTRACK is a collection of moody indie rock that subtly gives a nod to the much-loved vampiric angst of the novels and films. All songs on the album are original and exclusive to the soundtrack, so you won't find any recycled singles here. Artists included on the LP include Death Cab for Cutie (who performs the premiere single "Meet Me on the Equinox"), The Killers, Band of Skulls, Sea Wolf and Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, just to name of few of the 15 various performers.
Like the pairing of Bella and Edward, this soundtrack is the perfect marriage of quality tunes (that could stand on their own merits) and subtle references to the vampire love story. In fact there's plenty of obvious allusions to spooky stuff here, enough to keep Twilight fans under the spell of the movie for sure. Lykke Li eerily and sweetly sings, "tell me when you hear my heart stop, you're the only one I love" on "Possibility" and The Killers sing "A White Demon Love Song" fitting for the Cullen's complexion.
References to friends, darkness, the equinox, and immortality make the connection to the film without hitting you over the head with obvious nods to the plotline. There's a decidedly '80s feel that draws on the sounds of Depeche Mode and New Wave on tracks like Muse's "I Belong to You" and "Hearing Damage" from Thom Yorke. But the pop sound is balanced out perfectly by a host of ambient tracks full of hypnotic melodies and far-away harmonies that create an almost dream-like state.
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