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What’s great about the Twilight Saga soundtracks is that their supervisor, Alexandra Patsavas, seems to have an informed understanding of the vampire romance’s true fan base.
Contrary to popular stereotyping, it’s not just hormonal, quasi-emo teenagers who have been swept up in this new genre of romantic horror fantasy. I can tell you that my 21-year-old wannabe gangster, highbrow literature reading boyfriend is just as excited for the next Twilight movie installment as I am. Why is this? Well, it’s an alternative reality, magical enough so that we can’t predict the plot pattern, but not so much that it’s totally incomparable to our own lives. In fact, we could realistically see a bit of ourselves in Bella, Edward, or Jacob. It’s romantic, of course, and the undercurrents of sexual frustration can’t be ignored, but it is also thrilling and frightening. So it’s hugely exciting and (can I say it?) epic. Yes, come on, it’s epic!
I’ll throw in my own stereotype here and say that the latest soundtrack pacifies the pubescent sector of the fan base with some Bruno Mars and Christina Perri (if you don’t know her, she is Kelly Clarkson-esque - think heart-felt ballads). A little disappointing for those of us who want to call our music taste ‘alternative’, and who run a mile when we hear ‘baby’ several times in a song, but perhaps the film’s release may prove Mars’ 'It Will Rain' perfectly fitting. Although the chorus is a little too Top-10 for my liking, there is a hint of ‘Supermassive Black Hole’-like guitar fuzz early in the track, which is similarly used in The Joy Formidable’s ‘Endtapes’ and, in my mind, is what epic sounds like.
Otherwise, we have a good selection of little-known artists featuring on the album. I was particularly pleased by Theophilus London’s contribution: just as I was thinking the saga had started to lose some of its musical edge, super cool London brings us a bit of urban electronic respite from the romance-dripping ballads. Angus & Julia Stone are also a welcome invasion into the indie-rock-saturated Twilight tunes, and, along with The Joy Formidable and Noisettes, dilute the dominance of American exports. I also recommend Sleeping At Last’s ‘Turning Page’, which was written for the movie, and Iron & Wine, whose 2008 track ‘Flightless Bird, American Mouth…’ you may recognise, or, if not, his voice may revoke memories of your OC days.
For me, Muse are conspicuous in their absence. Yes, they can’t feature every time, but there is a distinct lack of thrill, excitement and drama in this soundtrack in general. It’s less epic. Probably perfectly appropriate for the new film, but I can’t deny that it prevents Breaking Dawn: Part 1 from being my favourite of the saga’s soundtracks. That said, there are some beautiful tracks on here, and you may well discover some new artists worth exploring.
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