reviews
FILE UNDER: Vampire-friendly indie rock
Various Artists - The Twilight Saga: New MoonAlternative Press - Scott Heisel on 10/26/09 @ 7:00 AM - altpress.com
Nearly everything touched by the Twilight movie franchise turns to gold (or, using the parlance of the film, sparkles). Just ask British singer/songwriter Bobby Long, whose profile rose in America after actor/star vampire Robert Pattinson--an old pal from their London open-mic days--sang Long's song "Let Me Sign" on the first film's soundtrack. Presto! Long became a cult artist with a rabid fanbase, which has allowed him to tour the States and release an album of Bob Dylan-esque rock.
Turning the obscure into stars seems to be the aim of the New Moon soundtrack. Besides a few rock heavyweights (The Killers, Death Cab For Cutie and Radiohead's Thom Yorke), the lineup reads like a who's-who of indie darlings (Grizzly Bear, Bon Iver, St. Vincent) and up-and-comers (Lykke Li, Anya Marina, Band Of Skulls).
Perhaps unsurprisingly, the established acts fare best. Death Cab's "Meet Me On The Equinox" is the best song on the album--and the best thing they've released since 2003's Transatlanticism. Vocalist Ben Gibbard sounds generally rueful, as funky bass burbles and sepia-toned post-punk riffs flower around him. (Think Silversun Pickups hobnobbing with Echo & The Bunnymen.) Thom Yorke's "Hearing Damage" is exactly what you want from a solo Yorke song: moody sloganeering, skittering rhythms and perforated keyboards. OK Go's surprising "Shooting The Moon" sheds all traces of their perky power-pop; the song conjures the weirder side of the Beatles by mashing together British Invasion and classic-rock riffs, bizarre-world synths and a playful orchestra.
Other tunes on New Moon, however, aren't quite so engaging. The "New Moon" remix of Muse's "I Belong To You" sounds like a lukewarm Franz Ferdinand B-side. The Killers' piano-tickled, wintry "A White Demon Love Song" fumbles around as if lost in a blizzard. Lykke Li's creepy-child-choir vocals add a grating edge to the dreary dirge "Possibility," and even St. Vincent's lovely crooning can't save Bon Iver's soul-folk snoozefest "Roslyn."
The disappointing thing about New Moon is that it could have been better. Howling Bells--the side project of Longwave's Steve Schiltz--uncover their inner Robert Pollard on the fantastic distortion-jangle gem "Monsters," while Sea Wolf's trembling indie folk puts Bright Eyes to shame. Band Of Skulls' hefty, distorted stoner-blues is hypnotic and vibrant. Unfortunately, the same descriptors can't be applied to much of the rest of New Moon. (CHOP SHOP/ATLANTIC) Annie Zaleski
GO DOWNLOAD: Death Cab For Cutie's "Meet Me On The Equinox"
Official Website: http://www.newmoonthesoundtrack.com
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