Twilight

Since Stephenie Meyer's hugely popular series of vampire books, Twilight, included thank-yous to the bands that inspired her writing, it makes sense that the Twilight soundtrack includes some of her favorite acts. Chief among them is Muse, whose darkly funky "Supermassive Black Hole" kicks off this mix of alt-rock brooding (Linkin Park, Collective Soul) and more eclectic -- but still mostly melancholy -- music. Paramore contribute two tracks, the churning "Decode" and the soaring ballad "I Caught Myself," neither of which match the best moments from the band's albums, even though Hayley Williams' crystalline vocals make a fitting backdrop to Bella Swan's supernatural love triangle angst. Most of Twilight follows suit with slickly dark songs like the "Twilight Mix" of Mutemath's "Spotlight" and Blue Foundation's "Eyes on Fire," and while they're not bad, they are predictable. The Black Ghosts' spookily folktronic "Full Moon" and Perry Farrell's dance-tinged "Go All the Way (Into the Twilight)" offer some changes of pace, with the former working better than the latter. The album's last moments offer a few glimpses of originality, even if actor Robert Pattison's (aka beautiful teen vampire Edward Cullen) "Never Think" is heavily influenced by Jeff Buckley. Iron & Wine's "Flightless Bird, American Mouth" and Carter Burwell's "Bella's Lullaby" close the album on a relatively high note, elevating some of the overly typical choices earlier on the soundtrack. Even if it's often too predictable, Twilight fits the mood of the books -- and the musical tastes of the books' fans -- well enough to make it a reasonable success. [The CD/DVD release features videos for Paramore's "Decode," Iron & Wine's "Flightless Bird, American Mouth," and the Black Ghosts' "Full Moon," along with an interview with Twilight's music supervisor, Alexandra Patsavas.] ~ Heather Phares