I’ll admit it — I’m a Twilight series fan. My books are dog-eared and worn from repeatedly reading them. I own the first movie, and I purchased two Twilight soundtracks last year (iTunes had bonus tracks that were a must). So, when I found out that The Twilight Saga: New Moon had a soundtrack (out Oct. 20, but pushed up to Oct. 16 due to high demand) filled with notable indie rockers such as Bon Iver, Grizzly Bear and Lykke Li, I was more than excited to get my hands on a copy. This time, I went straight for the iTunes pre-order, so I could secure the bonus tracks (one by Lupe Fiasco, which seems like total randomness).

I got a taste of what New Moon had to offer when I heard Death Cab For Cutie’s single, “Meet Me on the Equinox.” I liked everything about the song, but I scoured the Internet and found that a lot of Twilight fans weren’t sold. Most of the people who wrote comments didn’t even know who Death Cab was, which shocked the hell out of me. I think the song fits perfectly with the story line of the second film (heartbreak, despair, brooding, etc.). When I think of love and melancholy, I immediately think of Ben Gibbard’s voice.

When I finally downloaded my copy of the soundtrack on Oct. 16, I struggled to get through the entire album in one sitting. Normally, I find albums with a list of ballads soothing, but I kept thinking it was depressing. As I sat in a dimly lit room with my headphones on, I felt a wave of sadness crash into me. But maybe that’s the point. The main character of New Moon, Bella, is left shattered and broken when her boyfriend, Edward abruptly leaves.

I listened to it again the next day, and felt more comfortable with the tone of the soundtrack. If it’s cloudy or raining outside, I can almost picture myself in Forks, Wash., trying to mend a broken heart. Maybe I’ll get behind this album once the movie comes out, and I can relate the songs to their appropriate scenes.

All in all, I would say this is a decent album. It’s not racking up the sales numbers that Twilight’s soundtrack had, though. In fact, I think New Moon getting killed by Michael Buble’s new album, Crazy Love. But for an indie-dominated track listing, I think it’s doing fairly well.

Hits:

• Band of Skull’s “Friends.” It’s one of the few upbeat tracks, and a gem in its own right. I can imagine this song fitting well into scenes possibly presented in the film.
• Thom Yorke’s “Hearing Damage.” Come on, who doesn’t love Yorke? The frontman of Radiohead always knows what he’s doing. I think the lyrics fit in well with the idea of the movie, too.
• Anya Marina’s “Satellite Heart.” This was a surprise treat for me, because I was not familiar with Marina before I got this track early for pre-ordering the album. It’s beautiful, in a Sia-esque sort of way. I like the rawness of her voice, and how she kept the song so simple with just an acoustic guitar and a few other instruments lingering in the background.
• Grizzly Bear’s (featuring Victoria LeGrand) “Slow Life.” There is hardly another band out there that is hotter than Grizzy Bear right now, and this song is just another showcase of their unique sound.

Misses:

• Lykke Li’s “Possibility.” I wanted to love it, truly I did. I think she’s a brilliant singer/songwriter, and this was one of the tracks I looked forward to hearing. It’s not an entire waste of a song, though. There are beautiful parts to it. But, as a whole, it left me unsatisfied.

***UPDATE*** After watching the movie and seeing where this song fits in to the scene, I have fallen deeply in love. You need to watch this movie if only for the sole purpose of capturing this song’s true intentions. I saw an interview with Li, and she mentioned that she was given the opportunity to watch raw footage of the scene and write a song for it. And once she viewed the scene (a key piece of the film, by the way), this is the song that grew inside of her. Amazing.

• Sea Wolf’s “Violet Hour.” I’m a fan of Sea Wolf, but I couldn’t figure out why this track made it on album. It feels out of place with its folk style.

Next week: I’m going to review Tegan and Sara’s highly anticipated album, Sainthood, which comes out Oct. 27. I’ve heard a few tracks already, and I think this album will be on fire!