Two weeks after being released on October 16, the New Moon Soundtrack hit number 1 on the Billboard Charts. Clearly, good music is no longer any competition for a blockbuster movie’s terrible soundtrack.
The majority of the songs on the album consist of whiny singers trying too hard to be overly sappy and depressing. Not a single song has a tempo faster than what would be considered a slow song at a school dance.
Out of the fifteen tracks, only four deserve any mention: “Meet me on the Equinox” by Death Cab For Cutie, “Hearing Damage” by Thom Yorke, “I Belong to You” by Muse, and “Shooting the Moon” by OK Go.
“Meet me on the Equinox,” the main single for the album, isn’t the best song ever written, but, unlike many of the tracks, it actually relates to the movie.
“Let me give my love to you,” Death Cab sings of Bella and Edward’s love. “Let me take your hand, as we walk in the dimming light, or darling understand, that everything, everything ends.”
“I Belong to You” is the best song on the album. It’s one of the only love songs on the soundtrack to a movie all about true love.
“I can’t find the words to say, but they’re overdue,” Muse sings. “I’ve travelled half the world to say, I belong to you.” Some other artists on the album include The Killers, Bon Iver & St. Vincent, Anya Marina, Editors, Band of Skulls, and Lykke Li.
“Possibility” by Lykke Li is by far the worst song on New Moon. It’s five minutes and six seconds of Li droning on about her miserable love life. Her high-pitched, annoying voice doesn’t make it any more enjoyable.
“Done All Wrong” by Black Rebel Motorcycle Club has lyrics that seem to have been written by a five year old. The whole song consists of three lines repeated over and over again.
“Done all wrong,” Motorcycle Club sings. “Done me wrong. All the wrong I’ve done I’m sure I’ll live quite quite long. All the wrong I’ve done, will be undone in song. All the wrong I’ve done, will be undone in song.”
Unfortunately, all the wrong this album has done will never be undone.
Summit Entertainment/Atlantic Records; 57 min.; available on iTunes and CD
