When it comes to Twilight, it’s a case of been there, done that, almost got the t-shirt. So, after avidly reading the first three books and watching the film, I decided to check out the Twilight Soundtrack. First things first, never judge a book or, should I say C.D, by its cover. Given my slightly more commercial music tastes, I wasn’t expecting to get very into this album, but I was surprised.

The likes of Muse, Paramore, Collective Soul, and Carter Burwell, provide music that seems to suit the story perfectly. The music needed to reflect mysteries, secrets, darkness, danger, and raw emotion, and it does this in bucket loads. Get ready to turn up the volume on track one, as you won’t be able to resist dancing around to the Muse anthem ‘Super Massive Black Hole’. This track has it all, a powerful guitar beat, first class drums, and surprisingly high and harmonious vocals from the lead singer. I’m sure the live version would be something to behold. Another highlight for me has to be the Linkin Park song ‘Leave Out All The Rest’. It’s a First Class rock ballad, with some well written melodies, smooth vocals, and lyrics to sing-a-long too. It’s a very catchy track, with a lot of charm, just like my final highlight, ‘Bella’s Lullaby’. This song is written and performed by Carter Burwell, an artist I hope to hear more of in the future. He’s come up with a quite enchanting piano/string based arrangement that suggests and evokes bitter sweet emotions.

Elsewhere on the album Perry Farrell takes us to the clubs with the dance track ‘Go All The Way (Into The Twilight)’, a song that sometimes comes across as a fusion of Madonna and The Killers. If a track tinged with electro/disco beats isn’t your thing, then maybe you’ll enjoy the two tracks by female fronted rock act Paramore. I wasn’t quite so keen on their first track ‘Decode’, but quite enjoyed their second song, ‘I Caught Myself’. This for me had a very catchy intro, and some great drums. Blue Foundation’ are another female fronted act with a song on the CD, who remind me a bit of the Cardigans. Although their song ‘Eyes on Fire’ is quite quirky, it was a bit of a slow burner that didn’t really get going, and I didn’t quite get how the song title and lyrical story fitted together. Also worth a mention are Black Ghosts and their song ‘New Moon’. Although I found the acoustic/folk element of this song a tad irritating, the underlying beats were engaging, and it did build up nicely into a soaring/swirling, quite mystical tune once it got going. No Twilight feature would be complete without a nod to Mr Edward Cullen himself, Rob Pattinson. He contributed the track ‘Never Think’ to the album, and whilst I couldn’t quite get my head around his vocal style, the guitar playing was beautiful. It’s definitely something to look out for in the future.

All in all, I would say I was pleasantly surprised at the tracks I did end up liking on this album. There were a few tracks, like the Mutemath effort ‘Spotlight’ that were too heavy, frantic, and not altogether easy on the ear, but the strength of some of the other songs outweighed the irritations. I look to seeing future Twilight movies, and hearing the soundtracks. Oh, and just in case you’re wondering, I’m on Team Jacob!

For more information on anything Twilight related, visit www.twilightthemovie.com. The original motion picture soundtrack is out now from all good stores and download sites.