Eclipse Soundtrack Review

Eclipse Soundtrack Review

One of my great passions aside from reading is music. My musical tastes are quite eclectic, ranging from Broadway musicals to bluegrass to hard rock. Many of the bands I love most are classified as Indie Rock. The Twilight soundtracks are perfect for me - highlighting many of the best Indie bands out there. The Twilight Saga albums are as iconic as the soundtracks to the John Hughes' films of the 80s. All three have great songs that I listen to over and over. My favorite of the three is probably the New Moon soundtrack, because particularly like quieter, more folksy music. But I still think the Eclipse soundtrack is fabulous. Here's my take on the songs (note: I focus much more on a song's sound than its lyrics):

1. Eclipse (All Yours) - Metric: I am a huge Metric fan. I listen to their 2009 album Fantasies frequently. The title track to the Eclipse soundtrack highlights Emily Haines' fabulous voice. It's more ethereal and breathy than my favorite Metric songs, but I think it really captures Bella's psyche.

2. Neutron Star Collision - Muse: I am also a big Muse fan. I have three of their albums, one of which I listened to earlier this afternoon. This is not my favorite Muse song. It's very anthemic...channeling Queen. If you like that type of tune, it's fabulous. I unfortunately, do not like anthems. I enjoyed the song, but of the songs on the three soundtracks, "Supermassive Black Hole" is still my favorite.

3. Ours - The Bravery: This is a fun, upbeat tune that had me dancing. It's fast enough to be a good workout song. The Bravery is new to me. I'm interested in exploring their repetoire in greater detail, but they sound like a lot of other bands to me. Fun music but not something that really stands out.

4. Heavy In Your Arms - Florence + The Machine: This may be my favorite song on the soundtrack. I was already a fan of Florence + The Machine. Florence Welch has a huge voice. When she belts out the chorus "I'm so heavy..." I just lean my head back, eyes closed, enraptured. From the little I listened to the lyrics (like I said, I'm not a lyrics person), I could see Bella thinking these words.

5. My Love - Sia: I love how simple this song is. Mostly piano and Sia. It's haunting and beautiful. Definitely something to listen to when you're in a quiet mood. But...the song does get a little irritating as it goes on. Her voice is beautiful but it starts to grate on me. It if was only 1 minute long, I'd love it.

6. Atlas - Fanfarlo: I discovered Fanfarlo within the past 6 months. I love their Reservoir album. "Atlas" is a typical Fanfarlo song. Folksy; it sounds like something out of the sixties. Lots of harmonies, acoustic guitar, and clapping percussion.

7. Chop And Change - Black Keys: I am not a big fan of the Black Keys but I love this song. It's a dark, heavy-hitting song. Something I'd play to pump myself up before a presentation or a race. I can imagine this playing during the vampire training scenes or scenes with evil, sexy vixen Victoria.

8. Rolling In On A Burning Tire - The Dead Weather: The Dead Weather is a well-reputed newish band with vocals by Alison Mosshart and guitar by the famous Jack White of The White Stripes. I'm not a huge Dead Weather fan and this isn't my favorite song. It's not bad, but the sound just isn't my style. It's a dark, slow-tempo song. Alison's voice is strong but has a bitter tinge (not in a bad way - it's quite fitting). The guitar has just as strong a presence as the vocals. A good portion of the tune is instrumental. This is a good song to play in a dark mood.

9. Let's Get Lost - Beck and Bat For Lashes: I love Bat For Lashes (the nom de plume for a British artist named Natasha Khan). I'm a Beck fan as well, but this song is mostly a Bat For Lashes song. It reminds me of a conflict driven, angsty love song. Just fast enough not to be plodding but slow enough to really emphasize the longing.

10. Jonathan Low - Vampire Weekend: It's cool to see Vampire Weekend on the Twilight soundtrack. I discovered the band around the time of the first Twilight. Given the name, it's only fitting that it joins the Twilight world. This is a little different than a typical Vampire Weekend tune. It's upbeat and fun, but doesn't have as much Afro-beats as many of their songs. I really like Ezra Koenig's voice - it isn't a skilled singing voice but it sounds distinctive in a good way.

11. With You In My Head - UNKLE (feat. Black Angels): This is an interesting song. I can't really think of a good way to describe it. It is dark, as are many of the songs on the soundtrack. It switches between big harmonic choruses and a single, bitter, flat voice singing "When you went down, the men came calling." It's very strange but I kinda like it.

12. A Million Miles An Hour - Eastern Conference Champions: Yet another dark tune. This one is the heaviest rock song on the album. The song starts out quiet but bursts into a loud, electric guitar melody 30 seconds in. The singer's voice is quiet and soft. An interesting contrast to the heavy guitar.

13. Life On Earth - Band Of Horses: I love Band Of Horses. Kristen Stewart has also mentioned it as one of her favorite groups. This is quieter and more folk-influenced than many of their songs. It features acoustic guitar and lots of harmonics. The chorus is appropriately bittersweet: "Life on earth is changing / Life on earth is ending / Time on earth is ending / Time on earth is changing."

14. What Part Of Forever - Cee Lo Green: One of the more poppy songs on the album. It starts with whistling, which I enjoy in a song. The chorus is really peppy. The song has a lot of echoes in it. I don't have a lot to say about this song. It's nice but nothing special.

15. Jacob's Theme - Howard Shore: I didn't love this song. It's a pretty piano tune, but it just doesn't stand out. It's very simple - I imagine I could learn it quickly. I much preferred the score themes included in the Twilight and New Moon soundtracks. Although to be honest, if it was called "Edward's Theme," I'd probably like it better :-)

16. The Line - Battles: The bonus songs on the Twilight soundtracks are just as good if not better than the main tunes. I really like this song. It features an eerie, echoey vocal line with thumpy percussion. It's spooky. I especially love how the percussion gets faster, faster, faster, faster in the middle of the song. My heart speeds up in anticipation for it. Then there's a really long instrumental - the song is just as much percussion and guitar as it is vocals.

17. How Can You Swallow So Much Sleep - Bombay Bicycle Club: Fabulous. It starts with a gorgeous, plaintive vocal line that pulls me right in. The main vocals sound like two guys singing together. The tune has a good beat, but it doesn't feel like rock or like pop. Despite the strong presence of percussion, it gives of a sad, emotive vibe.

18/19. Atlas and What Part Of Forever remixes: What was the point of this? I just don't get it. I guess remixes are in style right now but it seems like a waste of space to me. I would much rather have a few more songs.