Twilight saga’s third musical chapter a phenomenal batch of indie buzz bands
THE TWILIGHT SAGA: ECLIPSE (ORIGINAL MOTION PICTURE SOUNDTRACK)
Various artists
(Chop Shop/Warner)
Rating 4 1/2 out of 5
The whole Twilight phenomenon is a bit baffling.
On the one hand, it’s easy to dislike the books and their movie versions, considering the media circus that has been surrounding them for the past few years.
But on the other, there’s no way you can overlook the music associated with the films, which is usually pretty darn amazing.
Granted, many of the musical elements that have become attached to the Twilight series are rooted in author Stephenie Meyer’s own fascination with her favourite bands.
British super trio Muse, for example, has been praised as an inspiration for the novels by the author (a fact she has repeatedly made clear in her acknowledgments at the end of the novels), and when the first Twilight film hit the big screen two years ago, you could bet Muse was going to make a musical appearance.
With each new chapter, the soundtracks took on a new form, adopted new bands, followed new trends and, of course, featured a new Muse song. The first movie gave us Paramore (okay, fine) and the likes of (egad!) Linkin Park and Collective Soul. New Moon conjured Death Cab For Cutie, Band of Skulls, St. Vincent and the almighty Thom Yorke.
But it’s the Eclipse soundtrack that trumps them all and goes for broke, and many factors come into play for the latest musical companion in the Twilight saga.
First, the Twilight audience is getting old fast, and you have to wonder if a growing number of Twi-hards may now be leaning on music blogs like Stereogum and Pitchfork more than they follow tabloids and television shows like eTalk and ET.
After all, the Eclipse soundtrack’s lineup reads like a hipster’s dream: the Dead Weather, Florence and The Machine, Vampire Weekend (how convenient), the Black Keys, Beck and Bat For Lashes, Metric — the list goes on and on.
Second, for indie artists, Twilight films are the perfect product placement opportunity. How does this sound: Millions of Twilight fans the world over being exposed to your music?
But here’s the thing: No matter what your opinion of the movie is when it comes out later this month, the Eclipse soundtrack is phenomenal.
The centrepiece, of course, is the title track Eclipse (All Yours), performed by Juno-winning indie rockers Metric, who created the song alongside score composer Howard Shore (of Lord of the Rings fame).
Written from the point of view of the main character, Bella Swan, the song lets singer Emily Haines explore the film’s storyline, exposing the choices Bella will have to make over the course of the movie. (Edward or Jacob? Oh, the life-changing dilemma.) As a nifty, urgent pop-rock theme song with a wispy chorus, it works, and it sets the tone for what’s to come: a whole lot of romantic goo, indie buzz style. (And is it just me, or do I hear the sound of windshield wipers in the background?)
Enter Muse with another one of their theatrical, Queen-derived, spacethemed anthems, Neutron Star Collision (Love Is Forever), which makes for a good sequel to New Moon’s Supermassive Black Hole. Bombastic goodness.
Remember those endless “running through the forest” sequences in the first two Twilight films? Well, The Bravery’s pulsating, new-wave pop-rock nugget Ours will easily fit one of those, as will Beck and Bat For Lashes’s beautiful Let’s Get Lost, depending on the mood needed for said running.
The Black Keys and the Dead Weather provide some bite and a good dose of ominous crunch with Chop and Change and Rolling on a Burning Tire, and Florence and The Machine delivers what could be the highlight of the whole thing, the desperate Heavy In Your Arms.
Australian chanteuse Sia sings her heart out on the disarming, string-laden My Love, while British indiepopsters Fanfarlo offer a bit of romantic levity on the folky Atlas.
The only subtle letdowns on this otherwise pitch-perfect compilation are the appearance by Vampire Weekend (which should really have the “Twilightiest” song, no?) and psych rockers the Black Angels’ collaboration with hip-hop producers Unkle, which are a bit of a drag.
Philly-bred indie rockers Eastern Conference Champions’ A Million Miles an Hour is a pretty killer track with a big bouncy bass line and some soaring guitars that are part Gomez, part Radiohead, and Band of Horses’ atmospheric Life On Earth offers dreamy “la-la-las” and a chorus that sings “Life on Earth is ending/ Life on Earth is changing.” The end of the world (or of a relationship) never sounded so pretty.
In the end, Cee-Lo Green (of Gnarls Barkley fame) infuses some retro soul-pop into the mix with What Part of Forever, and Howard Shore closes the book/movie/soundtrack with the sad, Satie-esque piano ode, Jacob’s Theme.
The Eclipse soundtrack feels so cinematic that it seems to tell the third chapter’s story on its own — kudos to music director Alexandra Patsavas, who spent her money well — and will easily surprise even the most anti-Twilight folks out there.
In a way, the soundtrack is a blessing for people who couldn’t care less about the film but want a surprisingly well-conceived collection of Twilightthemed music.
You can already imagine a whole bunch of blase hipsters (and, perhaps, parents) wishing to steer very, very clear of the movie theatres ultimately sneaking their way onto iTunes to download the Eclipse soundtrack.
And you know what? They probably should do so, for they won’t feel the least bit of shame enjoying it.
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