 A Completely Original and Captivating Work of Musical Art |
| Review Date: October 18, 2009 |
| Reviewer: Phoenix Child, USA |
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. |
Great Soundtrack
|
| Review Date: October 16, 2009 |
| Reviewer: Callie, Ohio, USA |
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. |
Waxing moon
|
| Review Date: October 16, 2009 |
| Reviewer: E. A Solinas, MD USA |
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. |
Meet Me On The Equinox, I Want To Shoot The Moon
|
| Review Date: October 17, 2009 |
| Reviewer: Flap Jackson, State Road, NC |
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. |
Great Music!
|
| Review Date: October 24, 2009 |
| Reviewer: Eva Alcaide, San Diego, CA |
| 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. |
Thoroughly Enjoying This One
|
| Review Date: October 26, 2009 |
| Reviewer: KraizeeKatt, Dallas, TX United States |
| I have been hearing a lot of these songs lately on the Sirius XMU indie rock station I listen to religiously. So imagine my shock when I finally learned that they were all part of the New Moon soundtrack. I was blown away. Considering I listened to the Fleet Foxes album on repeat the whole time I read New Moon, I find that this soundtrack is also a perfect compliment to the story, and I look forward to hearing how each song will be used in the movie. That being said, too bad there's not a song on here by Fleet Foxes, but the songs by Thom Yorke and Grizzly Bear more than make up for this. Bon Iver AND Editors too? SOLD. I give this album 5 stars. I am really enjoying it. |
Hope the movie lives up to its soundtrack
|
| Review Date: October 27, 2009 |
| Reviewer: Yungmoon Chang, |
I love this soundtrack - it is an awesome mix of tempos, genres, and artists. From the well-known Killers to the lesser-known Anya Marina, this album truly delivers. The lyrics, the melodies, and the emotions from the soundtrack evoke the same feelings as the book. Being a huge fan of the Twilight books, I have high expectations for bringing the text to life, but hopefully armed with this authentic soundtrack, the movie will deliver.
Highly recommend for Twilight and non-Twilight fans alike. You will not be disappointed. |
Odd, at first; but I can picture sections of the book with this music
|
| Review Date: October 31, 2009 |
| Reviewer: Sharon Snow, Missouri |
| At first listen, I was unsure of this soundtrack. But, I listened again, then I found I loved it. It perfectly suits the brooding "Bella" of New Moon with the haunting sounds of this CD. It's not at all what I expected, but that's the beauty...neither was the saga! |
Soundtrack too good for the film it's attached too.
|
| Review Date: November 6, 2009 |
| Reviewer: S. Alix, NYC |
| I couldn't believe my eyes, Thom Yorke, Death Cab for Cutie, Muse, The Killers, and Black Rebel Motorcycle Club? All on the soundtrack to what is most likely to be one of the worst movies of the year. A sequel to one of the worst films of 2008. Based on a book series that isn't even worthy of being used as toilet paper. Yes you heard right, this soundtrack is downright amazing. The wife purchased it, being a big fan of the movies and books, and when I saw the track listing I had to give it a listen. Nothing Thom Yorke is attached too could possibly suck and I was right. With an eclectic mix of artists the somber mood of the record easily slips from one wonderful track to the next. Even suck artists OK GO managed to surprise me with a very relaxed arrangement that is above and beyond the trash they usually put out. How did this happen? I have no idea but whoever is behind the soundtrack gave New Moon much more than it deserves. Its typical to see so many tweens and tarts opposed to actual good music, so sorry you got suckered into purchasing actual GOOD music. A wonderful collection of songs, its just too bad its the soundtrack to this really stupid movie. |
Amazing and Brilliant!!!
|
| Review Date: October 25, 2009 |
| Reviewer: Merry, |
| This is an amazing CD and far superior to the first CD Twilight. And I liked that CD very much. But these tracks are great and the more I listen to it the more mesmorized I become. I can't stress enough how awful the CD could have been with re-hashes of already released tunes and top 40 artists. YUK! YUK! YUK! This original mindblowing release was the very best way to go. I love every track but especially: The Violet Hour, Friends, Rosyln(stuck in my head all day), White Demon Love Song, Monsters, I Belong to You, Satellite Heart, The only one I See(track 13) and the wonderful Shooting the Moon. Oops and The Meadow of course. This CD PERFECTLY reflects the growing, mature and deep feelings that are the essence of the second book. Which is after all dark and emotionally difficult for all the characters. How anyone can say with any validity that they know the book is depressing but can't we have happy rock tunes is beyond me. All I can say is did you really read the book?? These Indie artists are amazing and I can't believe they were able to get them to contribute. The Twilight franchise fans should be grateful for their effort. Time to join the ranks of the grown ups and leave behind the tweenie top 40 garbage. Now I can't wait for Eclipse soundtrack which if I'm guessing right will have a harder edge. But we'll soon see. In the mean time my daughter and I will listen to this in the car and try to guess were each song will go. A fun bonding time for us. Thanks Alexandra Patsavas (musical director for this franchise) for helping me steer my daughter safely from the danger of top 40 hell. Can you imagine Beyonce's "Put A Ring On It" on this CD??? I feel sick just thinking about it. |
New Moon, new sound!
|
| Review Date: October 28, 2009 |
| Reviewer: Martina Radojevic, Pula, Croatia |
Being a fan of the whole Saga, I could not miss out this soundtrack in the first place. The soundtrack for the Twilight movie was really one of the best ones I've heard in a long time, and being a huge film buff I've heard tons of them, believe me.
As we all Twilighters know, the movie will be out in November, so I couldn't really say how will the music fit in the story. This soundtrack has a particular vibe to it, it's very different than the first one for sure. What I like most about it is the fact that Thom Yorke actually wrote a song for this album, which is absolutely amazing to have an artist in his range. The rest of the songs are pretty good, and the mood varies from very dark to happiness and love (which is kind of obvious, since we all know the story!). I must add that Muse contributed to this soundtrack with the song "I Belong To You" (which you can find on their latest album "The Resistance" but in a slightly different version with the second part sung in French), and I cannot wait to see the movie to see in which scene will we hear the song! There are some bands that have really surprised me with their song writing, because I wasn't a big fan before this album. One of such bands are The Killers. I wasn't a fan before hearing their song "A White Demon Love Song", it's very emotional and meaningful to the New Moon storyline. Also, I want to mention "Shooting The Moon" by OK Go, which is a brilliant song, especially the instrumental in the end!
Even though this soundtrack has a different sound than the first one, I rate it 5 stars. It really grows on you when you listen to it more than once, it has something special and meaningful for the New Moon plot. If you're asking about the genre, I describe it as pop/rock, alternative and indie. It's a good combination, trust me. |
Full moon with a bite!
|
| Review Date: October 29, 2009 |
| Reviewer: Nse Ette, Lagos, Nigeria |
I decided to get this CD when I saw some of my favourite artists on it. Unlike most reviewers here, I haven't listened to the soundtrack to the first "Twilight" movie, so my review will be on the music here and not how much this one pales in comparison to the first.
What an outstanding CD this is. Thom Yorke's "Hearing damage" is closer in feel to stuff off Radiohead's sound (especially the "Hail to the thief" CD) than stuff off his bleak but beautiful electronic debut. Lykke Li comes off all Björk-like on the lush dirge/hymn-like ballad "Possibility". The dramatic "A white demon love song" by The Killers sounds like some distorted Beatles song and is brilliant! "I belong to you (New moon mix)" by Muse is a shorter mix from the version found on their fab recent album "The resistance", editing out he French and Freddie Mercury-like bits.
"Roslyn" by Bon Iver & St. Vincent is a pretty ethereal ballad. "Shooting the moon" is a sublime yet poppy turn from Ok Go. "Slow life" is a beautiful acoustic ballad by Grizzly Bear, while The Editors turn in the piano ballad "No sound but the wind" (very unlike anything on their recent heavily electronic album, I might add).
That's it for the acts I know. The other songs are just as outstanding, from the Radiohead channelling "Meet me on the equinox" by Death Cab For Cutie, the crunchy rocker "Friends" by Band of Skulls, the ballad "Satellite heart" by Anya Marina, to the absolutely stunning piano/string instrumental "New moon (The meadow)" by Alexandre Desplat (which is right up there with the instrumentals off Quentin Tarentino's "Inglourious Basterds" soundtrack).
Edgy, but still very accessible. Brilliant! |
Very depressing, but still full of good music
|
| Review Date: October 19, 2009 |
| Reviewer: Michael Gajeski, |
This album is full of great music, but before buying it you should know that the album as a whole has a very somber tone in keeping with the book. This should be obvious, but after reading the negative reviews it is apparent that some people were expecting the same upbeat sound that was found in the Twilight soundtrack. The album, overall, captures the feel of the book very well and makes me that much more anxious for the movie.
In short, consider the fact that the album's purpose is to follow the storyline of the book before deciding that it is simply a terrible collection of music. |
Please, please, please give it a chance...
|
| Review Date: October 20, 2009 |
| Reviewer: Paul D. Sandor, CA USA |
First of all, I am not a part of the target demographic for the Twilight series. I haven't read New Moon and probably never will. But I know great music when I hear it: This soundtrack is loaded with some of the best Indie music available.
Second of all, both of my daughters are Twilight fan(atics). They love this soundtrack. This is probalbly due to me constantly playing this type of music while they were growing up. Their open-mindedness allow them to enjoy this introspective and meloncholy music (they also love the more upbeat Twilight soundtrack.)
Finally, any soundtrack that seemlessly flows from the sadly melodic Death Cab to Thom Yorke's ethereal croon and then back again to the lovely layers of Grizzly Bear is a keeper. My hope is that some of the young fans who discover (and like) this type of music will delve deeper into the genre and discover stellar artists like The Smiths, Sigur Ros and Neutral Milk Hotel. As Natalie Portman stated in Garden State (another great soundtrack), "You gotta hear these songs, they will change your life I promise you..." |
Great Album
|
| Review Date: November 1, 2009 |
| Reviewer: H. Vera, Salem, OR USA |
| This album is fantastic. I think it is perfect for the book/movie. The songs are slow and sad but that fits, because that is what the book is about, If you are a twilight fan I would buy this album. |
AMAZING!
|
| Review Date: November 1, 2009 |
| Reviewer: Twilight Fan 11, |
| This soundtrack blew me away. All of the music went well with eachother and the movie. I read others review claiming that "it was boring", "so depressing", "disappointing". What I say to them is get over it, the movie is mellow and sad and the music fits pefectly with the theme. If you don't buy this soundtrack, you are missing something wonderful. |
Phenomenal
|
| Review Date: November 5, 2009 |
| Reviewer: J. Uy, Dallas, TX United States |
| Pre-ordered this item and it got to me a day after the nationwide release date, and at a much cheaper price compared to everywhere else. Kudos to Amazon!!! Ofcourse I started listening to it immediately. Initially, I was comparing it to the Twilight Soundtrack, but was quite disappointed. After a few listens, all the songs started growing on me. All the tracks are fantastic. I cannot wait to watch the movie, I'm sure the songs will sound even better after watching the movie. If you like The Cure genre songs and other Indie rocks, you'll find this phenomenal as well. Two thumbs way up for this one. I'm sure Stephenie Meyer has all these songs in her playlist. She has fine taste in music! |
Fits the Story Well...
|
| Review Date: November 11, 2009 |
| Reviewer: Minneapolis Girl, Minneapolis, MN |
I love all genres of music. I'm familiar with most of the artists on this album and I was also familiar with the artists on the Twlight soundtrack. The New Moon soundtrack is phenomenal and better than the Twilight soundtrack. It doesn't surprise me that some people don't like it. There will never be a product out there that everyone is going to love. The artists and songs chosen for the soundtrack fit the mood of the book well. I can't imagine that it will not fit the mood of the movie just as well. The songs are intelligently written. For those of you who have given poor ratings, are you listening to the lyrics? Are you listening to the complexity of the music itself? The lyrics tell/match the story better than any other soundtrack I've heard for any other movie. Yes, some of the songs on this album are depressing or slow, but so was the majority of the book. A depressing or slow song does not mean it is a bad song. Songs are written from feelings and experiences. I give props to whoever compiled this album. The songs chosen were obviously well thought out, inspirational, moving and only enhance my love of the Twilight saga.
|
Fantastic Music!
|
| Review Date: November 12, 2009 |
| Reviewer: Nicole, CA, USA |
| Usually when I listen to a CD I'll skip a bunch of songs and there will only be a few that I actually like, so I was pleasantly surprised when I played this soundtrack and discovered I loved most of the songs except for a couple. To begin with, the soundtrack had the type of music I like. If you're not into indie rock or mellow music then this might not be the soundtrack for you. Most of the songs have a kind of quite eerie sound to them, which goes well with the theme of the book and movie, New Moon. My favorite songs have to be Friends and Roslyn, and the soundtrack is worth it to me for just those two songs but there are other great additions to the CD as well. I encourage you to give it a listen. |
new moon sound track! i love it!
|
| Review Date: November 13, 2009 |
| Reviewer: Heather C. Bowers, |
| The songs are a good indacatioin for how the movie will be. My girls love it as well as i do. |
|
No details are available for this product
No video reviews found for this product.
