Review Summary: In spite of Muse Twi-ing too hard, the fangs are out once more for a great soundtrack.
The
Twilight franchise is one of the more ridiculous teenage fads of recent years - essentially a series of bottom-of-the-bargain-bin romance novels with a hint of supernatural tripe and attempted horror that comes across as scary as a set of plastic fangs. Naturally, nobody over the age of fourteen wants anything to do with it - unless, of course, we're talking about the soundtracks. If the last two soundtracks (
Twilight and
New Moon, respectively) have proven anything, it's that Stephanie Meyer's true calling was never writing novels - it was making mix-tapes and compilations, alongside the musical direction of Chop Shop Music's Alexandra Patsavas. In addition to expanding the international profiles of bands like Paramore and Death Cab for Cutie exponentially, everyone from Grizzly Bear to Muse have had their music featured; making it bizarrely hip to be featured on. This trend continues into the soundtrack for
Eclipse, the third of the four books to be adapted to a multi-million dollar box office smash (the film's not even out and it's already obvious that this will happen) and unquestionably the best one yet. Eclectic, dark and all-too-intriguing on the basis of the lineup alone, the Eclipse soundtrack is a mostly consistent listen that amazingly defies any kind of context in regards to pasty teenagers in desperate need of acting lessons - it works much better, simply, as a compilation of songs.
First impressions of the lead singles from the
Twilight soundtracks have been solid, likable tracks with substantial degrees of catchiness and that extra tinge of darkness that made them fitting of their psuedo-Gothic surroundings. Third time, however, is not a charm for those increasingly distant space cadets Muse. How does one go about trying to describe the insufferable cheese of "Neutron Star Collision (Love is Forever)"? It's essentially the nightmarish daydream of what would happen if Freddy Mercury were alive in 2010, took a fistful of antidepressants washed down with whiskey, tried to play "Knights of Cydonia" on Guitar Hero and finally stumbled over to the piano to pen a Queen tune. Except instead of writing his own lyrics, he heads over to Livejournal for inspiration. If that sounded petrifying and potentially fatal - you don't know the half of it, kid. If you've been documenting the band's decline since Absolution, you're going to have to go off the charts to dot this career low. Thankfully, nothing else on the soundtrack is nearly as bad as this - as a matter of fact, "Neutron Star Collision" is thankfully somewhat of an anomaly amongst an impressive turnout.
The lovable Metric shine on their sweet jangle-pop number "Eclipse (All Yours)", while Florence + The Machine go for an all-out gospel with the smashing "Heavy In Your Arms" and The Bravery pump out "Ours" like it was 2005 all over again. And that's just within the first four tracks of the soundtrack - delving further into the playlist will bring even more surprises. The Dead Weather highlight the middle section with the quivering, haunted blues of "Rolling In On A Burning Tire", as Allison Mosshart oozes total madness in her sultry baritone delivery and Jack White reels back and forth on his kit. Fellow blues explorers The Black Keys, too, continue their sound expansion beyond the guitar-and-drums basics on the brilliant rhythmic surge of "Chop and Change"; which could have easily found a home on the band's other 2010 release,
Brothers.
It's not all gloom, mind - Vampire Weekend bring a spring to the step that could even make Rob Pattinson crack a smile with the catchy "Jonathan Low"; and in one of the biggest surprises of the entire compilation, Beck Hansen duets with Bat For Lashes' Natasha Khan on the simplistically charming "Let's Get Lost" - although it's much more her song than his, no matter whose name comes first on the tracklisting. The glimmering diamond encrusted amongst the tracklisting, however, has to go to Band Of Horses and their beautiful number, "Life on Earth". A shimmering slow-burner, equal parts dream pop and Neil Young homage, their trademark harmonies make good use of the sparse lyricism to waft across a vast, awe-inspired musical landscape that's quite easy to get lost in - much like most of the slower numbers in the band's discography. A beautiful addition to an already stellar collection of tracks, the Horses easily leave Bellamy choking on his own space dust.
Interesting note: according to a recent article by London's
The Independent, over four hundred artists submitted tracks to even be taken into consideration. To have that whittled down to what's on offer is not only astounding, but also a strong reflection of everything that's on offer - well, almost everything. Forget Team Edward or Jacob - just get on the side of this unexpectedly delightful compilation. Steal it off your kid sister if you have to. No-one's going to judge you - we're in it for the music, after all.
