As I listen to the album, it becomes abundantly clear that I am not the target audience for the release (you could probably tell that already). It is not that I have anything against any of these bands, it is more the bland way the soundtrack is put together, the lack of any real variation in the sound, and the way it is constructed around a couple hot bands.
None of the songs really stand out from the crowd. It is similar to listening to Top 40 radio, everything plays towards the middle, nothing jumping out and grabbing your attention (no wonder I avoid the radio).
It may seem like I am being overly harsh on the album, and that may be a little bit true as some of my distaste for the film is spilling over onto a new target. I do not mean to be. When it comes right down to it, this is a soundtrack where the sum is considerably less than the sum of its parts. There are a couple of decent songs on here, nothing mind blowing, but still songs that are worth a listen.
The disk opens with the movie's signature song, "New Divide" by Linkin Park. I am not the biggest fan of them, but this song strikes the right chord for the movie with its heroic sounding flow. This song also appears on the score album, integrated into one of Steve Jablonsky's cues. It is followed by Green Day's "21 Guns," a tune that just grates on me. It sounds like they are trying to be Weezer and failing. Cavo provides track three, and it is not a terribly good song, but the vocals are pretty good and strike me as one of the more genuine performances on the album.
Surprisingly, Nickelback delivers one of the more satisfying songs here. I say surprising because I do not think they are a particularly good band. The song is "Burn it to the Ground" and it is the only one attempting to inject some fire into the soundtrack. It has a surprisingly heavy (relatively speaking, of course) rhythm that is easy to groove to. It is followed by one of my favorite moments, The Used's take on The Talking Heads "Burning Down the House." Of course, I think it helps that I have always liked that song. This version gives it an industrialized spin that fits it nicely.
Article comments
1 - MarkSaleski
this has to be the worst cd i've listened to this year. i actually like the Green Day song and the Cheap Trick tune.
everything else is totally interchangeable. bleah!
(and i haven't even seen the movie...not that i will or anything)
2 - Chris Beaumont
I don't know if I would go that far. It is certainly lackluster and plays more as a marketing tool. I think I would rather watch the movie again.
On that note, I a much more excited about the score.