The Twilight Saga: New Moon Soundtrack (Atlantic)
In stores: Now
Bella Notte: This moody, mesmerizing soundtrack, filled with sullen reverb and gothy melancholy, didn’t have to be this good to sell huge. In fact, it could have been an hour of gastrointestinal squips, and young folks would have still gobbled the album in record numbers. Author Stephenie Meyer’s vampire series — about mopey girl Bella Swan and neck-hungry luvah Edward Cullen — sells like gangbusters in any form: books, movies, albums, creepy figurines that thirtysomething mothers of two keep asking for much to the chagrin of their rock-critic fiances. New Moon the film, a sequel to last year’s Twilight, doesn’t hit theaters until Nov. 20, but its soundtrack might be the best thing the franchise has offered up so far. Instead of opting for catchy, obvious rock hits — a la Paramore’s Decode from the Twilight soundtrack — producers went for hip: Indie royals Death Cab for Cutie, Grizzly Bear and Radiohead frontman Thom Yorke contribute complex art-rock ruminations, all parts buzz, drone and lament. L.A. alt-folk outfit Sea Wolf offers a kickin’ number called The Violet Hour, which sounds like a slightly sour Violent Femmes cut. Even the ballads are intricate, including Bon Iver and St. Vincent’s creepy choral Rosyln.
Reminds us of: I’m so getting stuck with the kids on Nov. 20. Any of you dads want to have a play date?
Download these: Meet Me on the Equinox (Death Cab for Cutie), Rosyln (Bon Iver and St. Vincent) and The Violet Hour (Sea Wolf)
Grade: A