I've never read any of the Twilight books or seen any of the films, but judging by the mopey soundtrack for the upcoming New Moon, I'm guessing that Stephenie Meyer's vampires don't indulge in much ass kicking. They probably blog, and maybe they knit, sometimes while discussing the DIY crafts movement, but ass kicking? Not according to this soundtrack, at least.
Every vampire has a soundtrack. The Lost Boys enjoyed Doors covers from Echo and the Bunnymen, and Bauhaus-esque Gerard McMann themes, which seemed about right. Buffy the Vampire Slayer killed demons to a soundtrack of alternative-rock, albeit off-brand alternative rock that didn't bust the WB's licensing budget. The first Twilight film's soundtrack was also a product of its time, filled with the brooding modern rock you'd expect from a 2008 vampire film (Linkin Park and Paramore). But Twilight's sequel soundtrack is a complete 180. It's dominated by major and minor names in indie-rock, including Thom Yorke, Death Cab For Cutie, Lykke Li, Sea Wolf and Grizzly Bear, and as if to force the blogosphere to pay attention, there's even a Bon Iver/St. Vincent duet (albeit a confusing, cluttered one).
So how did Twilight suddenly become the "O.C." of horror franchises? More than anything, it's probably a reflection of the franchise's strength that New Moon's soundtrack better reflects the music that author Meyer listens to. This soundtrack was going to move big numbers regardless of whether it contained new material from Linkin Park or Grizzly Bear, so why not save a couple bucks and revel in the cache of using the latter? Besides, the subdued, moody indie-rock on this album probably better serves the fim's teen-girl constituency than a generic modern-rock soundtrack could. These new songs from Death Cab For Cutie and Grizzly Bear are certainly more romantic than leftovers from Shinedown or Seether.
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Will the New Moon soundtrack become a gateway to indie-rock for a new generation of teenage listeners? It's too soon to tell, but it will undoubtedly introduce some of these artists to even larger audiences. That shapeless Bon Iver/St. Vincent collaboration aside, it's a thoughtfully compiled disc with some choice unreleased material that music fans of the non-teenage girl variety will want to check outor at least download from the safety of home, shielded from the judgmental smirks of Target cashiers.
You can steam most of the New Moon soundtrack at Spinner.com.
