Twi-hards anticipating the arrival
of “The Twilight Saga: New
Moon” on Nov. 20 can rest assured
that the soundtrack to the
film is as good as the first one.
Released on Oct. 16 and climbing
to the top of the Billboard 200
a week later, the soundtrack fits
the film well and has a style similar
to the “Twilight” soundtrack,
although it is a bit more melancholy
in keeping with the plot of
“New Moon.”
Overall the soundtrack is excellent,
though some listeners may
dislike a song here or there. It is a
very indie album, even more so
than “Twilight” was, and features
a variety of rock songs.
Various bonus tracks are available
depending on where listeners
buy the album (iTunes provides
the most), and the CD booklet
folds out into a “New Moon”
poster.
The score is released on Nov. 24
and will feature 21 songs.
The first song off the soundtrack
and the lead single is “Meet
Me on the Equinox” by Death Cab
for Cutie. The song keeps within
the indie rock vibe set by the first
film’s soundtrack. The song’s
catchy lyrics “everything ends”
fits with the demise of Edward
and Bella’s relationship at the start
of the film.
The final song on the soundtrack
is one of the score songs
Alexandre Desplat composed for
the film and simply entitled “New
Moon (The Meadow).” This song
is important both because it provides
an idea of what the film’s
score will sound like and because
the meadow is such a huge part of
the world of “Twilight” but was
glossed over in the first film. The
song is as lovely as “Bella’s Lullaby”
– the main score from “Twilight”
– but “NewMoon” is higher
in pitch than “Bella’s Lullaby”
and it is likely the rest of the score
will follow suit.
The next song is “Friends” by
Band of Skulls; this is another
indie rock song, but it’s more mellow
than the first track. The lyrics
can be viewed as describing
Bella’s friendship with Jacob
Black; Jacob is in love with Bella
and he becomes the person Bella
turns to while dealing with her
heartache.
Song three is “Hearing Damage”
by Thom Yorke of Radiohead,
whose music appeared in
the first film (though not on the
official soundtrack). The lyrics
“they say you’re getting better, but
don’t feel better” describe
Bella’s inability to get over
Edward and the expectation
her family and
friends have for her to
move on.
The fourth song is
Lykke Li’s “Possibility”
and is the saddest song so
far, with a slow tempo and
a haunting sound. It is like a
song written by Bella to
Edward, with the eerily
fitting lyrics “by blood
and by me, and I
fall when you
leave.”
“A White
Demon Love
Song” by the
Killers is up
next and is
another slow,
beautifully
h a u n t i n g
song about
Edward and
Bella, with
emp h a s i s
on Edward.
Lyrics include
“he
isn’t coming
after all” (reflecting
Edw
a r d
abandoning
Bella) and
” w h i t e
demon love
song’s in
her dream”
(for those
who haven’t
read the book,
Bella is constantly plagued by
nightmares recounting the couple’s
breakup).
AnyaMarina’s “Satellite Heart”
continues with the theme of
Bella’s inability to move on from
her relationship with Edward.
With lyrics like “I’m a satellite
heart, lost in the dark” the song reflects
her shattered state of mind.
The next song “I Belong to You
(New Moon Remix) is an exclusive
remix of a previously released
Muse song. Fans of the
books know that
S t e p h e n i e
Me y e r
listened to Muse while writing
and the band’s songs had a large
influence on her work, so it is appropriate
that Muse once again be
included on the movie’s soundtrack
(the band’s “Supermassive
Black Hole” was included on the
“Twilight” soundtrack). The title
of the song makes it obvious that
it is about Edward and Bella’s relationship,
though it is also possible
that the song is about Jacob’s
feelings for Bella.
Bon Iver & St. Vincent’s “Rosyln”
fits the scene where Bella
decides to go cliff-diving and
nearly drowns, with lyrics
like “sea and the rock
below, cocked to the
undertow.” It is another
song that is
haunting and unconventional,
and
listeners
wi l l
either love it or hate it.
“Done All Wrong” by Black
Rebel Motorcycle Club includes
the lyrics “done me wrong” and
reflect the anger fans feel toward
Edward after he leaves poor Bella
alone in the woods during the beginning
of “New Moon.”
Hurricane Bells provides the
next song, “Monsters,” which includes
the lyrics “you’ve got to
look before you go, you’re wasting
away.” The song mirrors the
reckless lifestyle Bella takes up
after Edward leaves her, since the
only time she is able to see Edward
is when she is in danger and
hallucinates.
Sea Wolf’s “The Violet Hour”
could have been written as a love
poem from Jacob to Bella. The
song includes lyrics like “you’re
always out of reach” and “you’ve
got me tangled up” and Jacob
wants nothing more than to be
with Bella, but she is unable to be
with him because of her love for
Edward.
“Shooting the Moon” by OK
Go is another song listeners will
either love or hate. Lyrics like
“what can he tell ’em now, sorry I
let you down” deal with Edward
leaving Bella after promising to
stay with her. Unfortunately,
the musicians don’t really
show off their skills until the
last third of the song.
Track 13 is a collaboration
between Grizzly Bear
and Victoria Legrand entitled
“Slow Life” and further
describes Edward and
Bella’s relationship. The
song is fairly standard but is
still decent, with lyrics like
“even though you’re the only
one I see, if you ask, I’ll cut you
free.”
The final song on the album is
“No Sound but the Wind” by the
Editors. The song has a bit of
Johnny Cash country vibe to it
and hints at the immortal life
Bella dreams of with Edward
with the lyrics “our blood is
cold and we’re alone, but I’m
alone with you.”