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Phoenix Child |
Date: 2009-10-18

Those who've read my prior reviews on this subject know that I despised the "Twilight" movie with a fiery passion, but was a fan of the soundtrack. Now that they've changed directors as well as composers for "New Moon," I checked the "New Moon" soundtrack album out with some degree of eagerness. I bought it the day it came out...and I was utterly blown away.

There is not one single dislikeable song on this entire album. "New Moon" is a completely new and original work of music; you cannot find the songs on this compilation anywhere else, with each song completely original and written specifically for the movie soundtrack. The artists range from the well-known to the obscure, from the folk-rock to the alternative, and the impressive range and skill of each musician is apparent from the get-go.

The album kicks into a broodingly moody gear with Death Cab for Cutie's amazingly emotive "Meet Me on the Equinox," which bleeds into the slightly punky punch of "Friends" by Band of Skulls. Thom Yorke, the lead singer of alternative rock legends Radiohead, contributes his own dark electronic track "Hearing Damage," to be followed by the soft and introspective strains of "Possibility" by Lykke Li.

The Killers of indie-rock fame contribute the original "A White Demon Love Song," which perfectly captures the complicated relationships between Bella, Edward and Jacob throughout the story of "New Moon." Anya Marina belts out the lovely ballad "Satellite Heart," which is followed by a slinky new remix of Muse's new single "I Belong to You." Bon Iver and the Black Rebel Motorcycle Club each come in with their own folk/aternative rock songs ("Roslyn" and "Done All Wrong", respectively), each track unique and lively in their own way -- indeed, the "New Moon" soundtrack could easily have fallen into the simple category of 'teen angst music' but the overall quality of the songs and the mixing are enough to completely sidestep that bullet.

Hurricane Bells lively rock anthem "Monsters" again ramps the album up from the slowness while still managing to capture the overall, ethereally brooding sense that holds this unique album together. Sea Wolf delivers a punchy folk tune in "The Violet Hour," which leads in to OK Go's new track "Shooting the Moon," a fun pop-infused folk/rock song that has a beat and a style all it's own. Grizzly Bear's darkly romantic "Slow Life" comes up next, and the final song for the album is "No Sound But the Wind" by indie/folk rock leaders the Editors, a lush and gorgeous piano ballad that carries us into the true star of this collection:

The final track on this compilation, however, is the true creme de la creme of this collection -- an original score work for the movie composed by the new French composer Alexandre Desplat. Titled simply "New Moon (The Meadow)," the complex piano melodies and heartrending orchestrations perfectly illustrate everything Desplat needed to accomplish, and this particular song outshines every other song on this album. (At this point, I'm almost more excited about the score album coming out than the movie itself!)

Bottom line -- whether or not the movie itself will improve on its predecessor is hard to gauge at this point, but this soundtrack is that rare kind of originality, that special kind of gem, that is hard to stumble upon this day, and yet this album managed to do it with grace. Introducing new acts, providing dazzling new material from old favorites, and mixing an album to keep it fresh while never losing the brooding cohesiveness of the project the mix is based upon is a difficult task, but "The Twilight Saga: New Moon" has more than stepped up to the challenge -- it hit a solid home run.

Five out of five stars.

Callie |
Date: 2009-10-16

As a fan, I've been eagerly waiting for the soundtrack and finally got my copy today. I am very pleased with this CD. I was a big fan of the Twilight soundtrack, but I can honestly say that I love this as well (maybe more).

Compared to the Twilight soundtrack, this is much quieter. With Twilight, it was a bit harder in sound and more fast paced. It fit with the hectic situations of the first novel. This New Moon soundtrack feels more somber and truly embodies the emotions at the center of the story.

This is definitely a must-have for fans of the series, or just fans of good music. But be warned, if you're not into more indie music, chances are that you won't care for this CD. But the indie feel is another part of why I really like this. Plus, I now have quite a few new favorite bands that I wouldn't typically hear on the radio. My personal favorites would be "Meet Me On The Equinox" "Friends" "Satellite Heart" and "Shooting The Moon".

I highly recommend playing this in your car on your way to see the movie in November; it gets you in the mood for the adaptation. But it's also wonderful to listen to while reading the book. Honestly, it doesn't matter what song you land on while reading, because each one is made amazingly well for the subject matter.

Oh, and you definitely get your money's worth with this. There are 15 songs and they're all of decent length, so for the $9.99 that you can buy the CD for right now, it's a steal that's sure to please.

E. A Solinas |
Date: 2009-10-16

The best thing you can say about any movie's soundtrack is that it can stand on its own, and that no matter what you think of the movie, the soundtrack is chock full of amazing music.

And the soundtrack to "New Moon" is one of those -- apparently the people behind it have gone completely indie in their tastes. Whether you love or hate the teen-vampire-infatuation flick, it's undeniable that the soundtrack is bursting with brilliant bands -- angular rock'n'roll and lush echoing pop, some of it well-known (Muse, Thom Yorke) and some relative obscure (Grizzly Bear, Lykke Li).

"Meet me on the equinox/Meet me halfway/The sun is perched at its highest peak/In the middle of the day... " Ben Gibbard sings distantly as the gentle guitars swirl around him. A storm of drums builds up every time he laments that "everything, everything ends," as his pronouncements about an unknown lover become eerier and more surreal ("A window/An open tomb/The sun crawls across your bedroom/A halo/A waning moon/Your last breath moving through you").

There's a pretty good showing of solid rock'n'roll following Death Cab For Cutie's memorable introduction -- Band of Skulls provides the buzzing, blunt-edged rocker "Friends," Hurricane Bells erupts in a buzzing storm of fuzzy bass and sharp beats with "Monsters," and Sea Wolf's "The Violet Hour" is a swirling little pop-rocker that seems to trickle down the reverberating guitar.

Then there's Thom Yorke, whose buzzy-edged electronic "Hearing Damage" is a furtive, dark little rush of sinister beauty. And of course, Muse is included in the stomping, mournful rocker "I Belong To You (New Moon Remix)."

Some of these bands are also going unexpectedly low-key to suit the mood, even if they're usually much louder. The Killers turn out the dramatic layered lament of "A White Demon Love Song," while Black Rebel Motorcycle unfurl a twangy lo-fi ballad "Done All Wrong." OK GO abandon their usual sound in favor of the trippy psychedelic-edged "Shooting The Moon," and the Editors dip into a dramatic, hauntingly sad piano-rock sound with "No Sound But The Wind" ("Help me to carry the fire/it will light our way forever..."

But some brilliant indie pop also makes the cut. Lykke Li's "Possibility" is a shimmering, icy little melody, while Anya Marina sticks to acoustic guitar riddled with organ in the whispery "Satellite Heart." The absolute highlights of the album: Bon Iver and St. Vincent collaborate on the otherworldly, hymnlike "Roslyn," and Grizzly Bear's exquisite "Slow Life" is a slow haunting build to a celestial climax.

For the record, I'm not a fan of "New Moon" or Stephenie Meyers' Twilight series in general. But I felt a prickle go down my spine when I saw the songs listed for the soundtrack -- they've crammed it with one brilliant band after another, ranging from hard rock'n'roll to soft, sweet ballads. In fact, the only one that failed to move me was Alexandre Desplat's outro -- frankly, it was four minutes of boredom for me.

Otherwise, the playlist sets a wonderful mood -- think a mingling of bittersweet romanticism and outright melancholy, with lots of slowly winding piano, buzzing guitar, acoustics and ghostly veils of electronica and organ. The singers' voices range from dramatic laments (Matt Bellamy) to quirky murmurs (Anya Marina), and their lyrics tend to reflect two themes: loss ("How much pain has cracked your soul?/How much love would make you whole?") and love ("Even though you're only one I see/I've got to set you free...").

Even those who are not (and probably never will be) fans of the Twilight phenomenon should immerse themselves in the "New Moon Soundtrack." Taken on its own merits, it's still a haunting string of beautiful songs.

Flap Jackson |
Date: 2009-10-17

Coming off what was called the soundtrack of the year, and considered the must-have album by any teenage girl of 2008, the New Moon soundtrack had a lot of uphill work to do. The Twilight soundtrack was more of an alt/modern rock effort, with Paramore and Muse catapulting off the frenzied pitch big time. But in my opinion, the Twilight soundtrack was a generic mess that catered to its movie and its audience. This soundtrack on the other hand does the complete opposite. The album has a little alternative rock, but its decidedly indie, featuring the biggest indie artists of the past five years. The results are surprisingly amazing.

Highlights Include:
Meet Me On The Equinox
Friends
Rosyln
Monsters
New Moon (The Meadow)

"Meet Me On The Equinox" is what first drew me to the album, and since I'm personally a big fan of Death Cab, I'd put it as the album highlight. It's lyrics are imaginative, and the music is decidedly alt rock at some of its best. The song is radio-friendly, but also blows me away every time. Also, at the tail end of the album is a short little piano piece that is stunningly beautiful in every way. It's timing is perfect, the skill and the mood all work together, and it seems to blend nicely with the rest of the album.

Simply put, the album has the feel that artists had the chance to do the soundtrack, and instead of catering to the movie, they just put out some new material they were working on. It's their sound, and all are very worthy additions to their collections. Bon Iver sounds like Bon Iver, and Thom Yorke sounds like Thom Yorke. Granted, I am not that familiar with the material of the book, but it seems like the lyrical content has nothing to do with the movie. Maybe some abstract stuff about relationships, but that's it. Also, since the artists featured tend to venture into darker material, the album has a very gloomy feel to it, but it's also so well done, it's easy to get lost in the atmosphere of the music.

Overall, I have a feeling the core Twilight fanbase will be utterly bewildered and disgusted by this album, especially the Tween audience. It seems to be built for collage radio with its non-conformity and maturity. It's dark, it's moody, it's independent, and it's surprisingly good. Don't be thrown off by the Twilight name, if you're a fan of alternative rock, or a big indie person, then pick up this album, you'll like what you hear.

Eva Alcaide |
Date: 2009-10-24

There isn't one single song on this album that I don't like. All the songs are great. If you've read the books you can totally picture the time to apply the songs and its lyrics to the book, they really do fit! Just like the Twilight soundtrak this soundtrack did its part in fitting perfectly well and introducing bands that otherwise I would have never heard of.