The soundtrack to the final Twilight movie does its best to roll back the blue skies of summer and re-introduce us into the sombreness that is late July.
It’s downtrodden, mournful and possesses as much optimism as an abandoned pet.
Admittedly, there’s enough talent on paper to suggest the disc could be a half-decent ride, especially considering the presence of St Vincent, Passion Pit and Feist. This issue is that none of these artists bother slipping out of first to contribute anything representative of their best form.
Passion Pit, who opens the soundtrack, proves the guiltiest of all with ‘Where I Come From’ lacking the group’s usual bounce and electro flourish.
Green Day’s ‘The Forgotten’ – also the soundtrack’s lead single – is particularly heinous, combining frontman Billie Joe Armstrong’s one-track vocals with some predictable minor key plucking. Still, to be fair, it’s a track not far removed from their usual plodding material.
To her credit, Ellie Goulding fares slightly better with ‘Bittersweet’, a scattered but interesting slice of electro-pop that was co-produced by former beau Sonny John Moore (aka Skrillex).
A Boy And His Kite’s ‘Cover Your Tracks’ also adds a bit of colour with its slow build up and gentle acoustic yearnings.
That aside, however, the pickings are very slim.
It’s become in vogue to unleash a Facebook status or Tweet a pot shot at the Twilight saga. With the franchise now sucking in its final breath, those same keyboard warriors might want to consider lobbing some tomatoes at the accompanying soundtrack too.
