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Soundtrack, Atlantic, Rs 395
Rating : ***
Whether you are Team Edward or Team Jacob or beyond the realm of human-werewolf chemistry, Twilight’s OST gives just about everyone a reason to rejoice. The soundtrack of the first Twilight film featured mainstream rock favourites such as Collective Soul and Linkin’ Park and soared to the top slot on Billboard charts within a week of its release in 2008.
A year later came Twilight Saga: New Moon, which swerved to the indie side with bands such as Death Cab For Cutie, OK Go, Grizzly Bear, Hurricane Bells, Thom Yorke and The Killers making up the compilation. So the excitement accompanying the release of the soundtrack of the third instalment, Twilight Saga: Eclipse, comes as no surprise.
The 15-track compilation features popular contemporary acts such as Vampire Weekend and The Dead Weather, mixing rock ’n’ roll, folk, blues, indie, electro music with soulful ballads.
The only constant on all three albums is alternative rock act Muse, one of Twilight author Stephenie Meyer’s favourite bands. This time the band goes slow-mo with “Neutron Star Collision (Love Is Forever)”, an unlikely ballad that combines emo lyrics with soft keyboard.
Canadian indie outfit Metric kicks off the soundtrack with a rollicking melody and lilting vocals on the title track. Its spacey feel sets the rather theatrical mood of the album.
The same mood reappears on composer Howard Shore’s uninventive Hollywood OST staple “Jacob’s Theme” and on Sia’s instrument-heavy, love ballad “My Love”. With powerhouse vocals that invite comparisons with Enya and Celine Dion, Sia’s voice floats over the soothing piano notes and is likely to appeal to Meyer’s pubescent audience. Though a bit stretched at over five minutes, the track comes as a break from the angst-ridden, full-throated tracks by Eastern Conference Champions and The Dead Weather.
The haunting melody of Florence’s “Heavy In You Arms”, which recalls Garbage’s “I Would Die For You”, will leave listeners weighed under its spell. A similar neurotic groove creeps in with Unkle’s “With You In My Head.”
Eclipse offers varied textures that change on every track. The quintessential on-the-road track “Chop and Change” by The Black Keys is winsome, but may have been more appropriate for an action movie like Ocean’s Fourteen.
Clappy beats and effusive verses characterise the upbeat tracks by Cee Lo Green, The Bravery and Fanfarlo. Though Vampire Weekend substitutes their Afro-West Side sound for a more folkish-rock melody, Beck’s collaboration with Bat For Lashes is the stand-out track.
Eclipse seems to live up to its expectations. Whichever side you choose, human or werewolf, this album certainly makes for good listening. Megha Mahindru
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