Ever since the first movie, artists have been creating unique songs specifically chronicling the forbidden, mystical love between Edward and Bella. Even the most critical, obsessed Twilight fan would approve of this new soundtrack which spotlights hit makers such as Bruno Mars and Christina Perri along with other less famous bands that together complement the storyline well.
Released on November 8th, most of the fifteen songs are indie and rock, yet “Neighbors” by Philophilus London is as interesting and unexpected as his name. The song features rap that is smooth enough for even someone who does not like the genre to enjoy. He mixes a lot of different sounds which make the song have many different layers. A more upbeat song by an English alternative band, The Joy Formidable‘s “Endtapes” easily sounds similar to Metric’s “Eclipse (All Yours)” which was used in the previous soundtrack.
“Sister Rosetta” by the Noisettes has a loud rock vibe which sounds like Duffy with a little more punch. A re-gifted song, Flightless Bird, American Mouth (Wedding Version) by Iron and Wine is an acoustic, sweeter, slower remake of the original which was played in the first movie during prom scene and is used sentimentally for the wedding ceremony.
Bruno Mars has already won the hearts of girls with his hits “Just The Way You Are” and “Grenade” and he tries to do this again with his soulful, “It Will Rain” It feels like a classic, old song with his voice that is mournful but still manages to sound melodic. “A Thousand Years” by Pop singer Christina Perri, a Philadelphia native, is more uplifting than her successful “Jar of Hearts” and perfectly fits with the whole theme of eternity with lyrics boasting, “And all along I believed I would find you/Time has brought your heart to me/I have loved you for a thousand years/I’ll love you for a thousand more.”
“I Didn’t Mean It” by the Belle Brigade is powerful with a country edge which doesn’t exactly fit with the others. “Cold” by Aqualung and Lucy Schwartz has a beautiful piano in the background but is too mournful to listen to over and over again.
Overall, the songs on the CD seem to fit with the events of the movie. Even someone who detests Twilight and shrills when a trailer for the movie plays will be able to appreciate the music. The CD encompasses unique styles which creates a motley of songs to please more people.
Also, the soundtrack helps people discover different more indie bands after listening to the mainstream pop staples by Bruno Mars and Christina Perri. Muse, the band which the author of the novels, Stephenie Meyer, listened to for writing inspiration is noticeably absent for this installment although they have contributed to all of the other soundtracks.
Linkin Park and Paramore added rock songs on the fist soundtrack and it would have been interesting to hear both bands on this one. Yet there is still hope for the next soundtrack which earns three out of five stars. This soundtrack is available for $11.88 on Amazon.com and 14.99 on iTunes which would make a great holiday present for the Twilight obsessed and music lovers alike.