{"id":2127250,"date":"2025-10-31T16:44:22","date_gmt":"2025-10-31T16:44:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/?p=2127250"},"modified":"2025-10-31T16:44:22","modified_gmt":"2025-10-31T16:44:22","slug":"new-moon-has-the-best-soundtrack-of-the-21st-century","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/new-moon-has-the-best-soundtrack-of-the-21st-century\/","title":{"rendered":"New Moon&#8217; Has the Best Soundtrack of the 21st Century"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><\/p>\n<p>I am not a <em>Twilight<\/em> kind of girl. I still remember the first rumblings of Robert Pattinson being considered for the role of Edward Cullen, and my pretentious, film-obsessed adolescent self was horrified at the thought that my celebrity crush was destined to be in some teen romance slop. Couldn\u2019t they cast Tom Sturridge himself and save Pattinson\u2019s career for <em>real<\/em> cinema? Even after watching <em>Twilight<\/em> and warming up to its Aeropostale-goes-goth aesthetic, I still wasn\u2019t fully sold. But when I begrudgingly went to see its sequel, <em>New Moon<\/em>, with a friend, I was hooked. Sure, Edward is somehow even more insufferable, and Bella has some serious issues where she seems to only value herself when she has a romantic interest, but the soundtrack made me love it.<\/p>\n<p>After revisiting <em>New Moon<\/em> in 2020, I fell in love with it again, starting a now-annual tradition of watching the movie whenever the temperature drops, and its soundtrack on repeat until the spring. Even with the film\u2019s questionable writing and uneven acting, I can appreciate the way songs are used to make scenes even stronger: Lykke Li\u2019s \u201cPossibility\u201d appearing during Bella\u2019s depression montage, as she waits for the Cullens to return; \u201cSlow Life,\u201d Grizzly Bear\u2019s collaborative track with Beach House vocalist Victoria Legrand, playing as Bella risks her life by diving off a seaside cliff, waiting for Edward to rescue her, only for Jacob to swoop in to do so; Thom Yorke\u2019s \u201cHearing Damage\u201d scoring Victoria\u2019s showdown with the wolf pack.<\/p>\n<p>With the exception of some iconic soundtracks like <em>Trainspotting<\/em>, <em>Garden State<\/em>, <em>Romeo + Juliet<\/em>, <em>Reality Bites<\/em>, and <em>Pulp Fiction<\/em>, it\u2019s rare for a soundtrack to tap into the zeitgeist and create trends of its own. It was even rarer by the time <em>Twilight<\/em> came around, as consumers were more inclined to download music online than to buy CDs, now with a vast sonic world to choose from rather than being introduced to something new through compilations. But <em>New Moon<\/em> is the best soundtrack of the 21st century because it accomplished something special: a focus on world-building, featuring songs by some of the biggest names in indie, tied into Bella\u2019s emotional turmoil, adding depth to an otherwise corny teen franchise. It\u2019s a skill Emmy-winning music supervisor Alexandra Patsavas mastered while putting together soundtracks for <em>The O.C.<\/em>, <em>Gossip Girl<\/em>, and <em>Grey\u2019s Anatomy<\/em>. And she continues to be one of the most sought-after music supervisors in Hollywood, known for launching the careers of countless indie artists through her tastemaking placements of their songs.<\/p>\n<p>Her involvement in <em>The O.C.<\/em>, which had a major impact on the music industry during the 2000s, is likely what drew so many indie artists to contribute to the <em>New Moon<\/em> soundtrack. The Killers, whose track \u201cWhite Demon Love Song\u201d is featured in the movie, decided to be part of it because of Patsavas\u2019 reputation, as she had gotten them to perform in <em>The O.C.<\/em> during the same year that <em>Hot Fuss<\/em> came out. Drummer Ronnie Vannucci Jr. told <em>SPIN<\/em>, \u201cMusic coordinator Alexandra Patsavas really has her shit together, and it was a great lineup. She had some really great ideas. Before any of this happened, we got to meet with the director, Chris Weitz, and he\u2019s fully aware of what\u2019s going on and he wanted to surround the film with good music so it wasn\u2019t about 11-year-old girls. And, if it is, at least you\u2019re giving them some good music to listen to.\u201d<\/p>\n<div id=\"revcontent-hidden\">\n<div class=\"grid-x articles-inline-insert\" id=\"inline-related-articles\">\n<ul class=\"articles grid-margin-x flex-container flex-dir-column\">\n<li class=\"grid-x grid-padding-x\"><a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"auto cell copy-container noimage\" href=\"https:\/\/www.pastemagazine.com\/music\/jeff-tweedy\/on-twilight-override-jeff-tweedy-tangles-with-the-dark\"><b class=\"title\">On <em>Twilight Override,<\/em> Jeff Tweedy Tangles With the Dark<\/b><\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"grid-x grid-padding-x\"><a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"auto cell copy-container noimage\" href=\"https:\/\/www.pastemagazine.com\/tv\/netflix\/twilight-of-the-gods-review\"><b class=\"title\"><i>Twilight of the Gods<\/i> Is Another Typical, Flawed Zack Snyder Affair<\/b><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<p>Despite being one of the hottest bands of the era, the Killers weren\u2019t the biggest get for the <em>New Moon<\/em> soundtrack; that honor went to Thom Yorke. After Patsavas got Radiohead to allow the use of their song \u201c15 Step\u201d in the credits for <em>Twilight<\/em>, Yorke personally requested to write a solo track for the sequel. \u201cHearing Damage\u201d is enthralling, with zig-zagging synths and heartbeat-like drum beats capturing the anxiety of that face-off in the woods between Victoria, an evil vampire, and the wolf pack. Interestingly, despite being used in a scene that isn\u2019t focused on Bella\u2019s love triangle, you can see how Yorke took inspiration from the story, writing lyrics from the protagonist\u2019s perspective on her romance with Edward: \u201cYou can do no wrong \/ In my eyes, in my eyes,\u201d he sings in the chorus.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s easily one of Yorke\u2019s best solo songs\u2014I\u2019d even dare to say among the best in his career overall. When it was finally added to streaming platforms in 2020, it experienced a massive resurgence, with over 50 million Spotify streams and a TikTok trend. If you look at the comment section on the Genius lyrics entry, it\u2019s filled with fans who are confused about how the <em>Twilight<\/em> franchise served as the vehicle for Yorke to go so hard. Patsavas and Atlantic Records ensured that the soundtracks for each installment gave musicians creative freedom, which in turn inspired the contributors to fit their artistic visions within the fantasy realm of Stephanie Meyer\u2019s books.<\/p>\n<p>Besides Yorke and the Killers, another big get for <em>New Moon<\/em> was Death Cab for Cutie, who wrote \u201cMeet Me on the Equinox\u201d specifically for the sequel. Frontman Ben Gibbard, then in his early thirties, wasn\u2019t part of the <em>Twilight<\/em> demographic, but being from Washington state he saw the movies as a positive economic boost for a small town like Forks. \u201cThere\u2019s never been anything going on there, unless you were logging or protesting logging\u2014those are the two things to do in Forks. But it\u2019s a really beautiful part of the country, and it\u2019s great to see such a beautiful light shone on it through these films,\u201d he told MTV News.<\/p>\n<p>While Gibbard didn\u2019t read the books to write the track, the band\u2019s former guitarist and producer, Chris Walla, did in order to ensure they were tapping into the true essence of Meyer\u2019s series, while not making it specifically about Bella\u2019s story. \u201cIt\u2019s not so specific that it has to be tied to the film,\u201d Walla told <em>The New York Times<\/em>. \u201cAll of Ben\u2019s lyrics have a universality about them. It\u2019s not like the song is about Jacob turning into a werewolf.\u201d \u201cMeet Me on the Equinox\u201d was slated to be one of the biggest songs on the soundtrack, premiering at the MTV VMAs in September of 2009, two months before the movie\u2019s release. The timing couldn\u2019t have been better for Gibbard to tap into the emotions required for a song featured in the franchise: it combines the depressive, desperately lovelorn lyrics from <em>Narrow Stairs<\/em>, released a year prior, with the mainstream-friendly sound they found on <em>Plans<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p>Like <em>The O.C.<\/em> did for obscure indie acts, <em>New Moon<\/em> also boosted the success of rising stars, playing a role in them becoming mainstream acts. One of those was Lykke Li, who contributed her song \u201cPossibility.\u201d At the time, the Swedish singer had gotten some buzz following the release of her 2008 debut album, <em>Youth Novels<\/em>, but was a couple of years away from her massive hit \u201cI Follow Rivers.\u201d Li wasn\u2019t a <em>Twilight<\/em> fan; she even hated vampires, telling <em>Pitchfork<\/em> that she took the chance because she wanted to \u201csneak my dark love stories into prime time\u201d and felt that \u201cyoung girls could really relate\u201d to her music.<\/p>\n<p>She had a hook in mind, but it wasn\u2019t until she saw a rough cut of the movie that she knew exactly what she would write for it. \u201cI had this song growing inside of me that I had to get out, and [the film] was the trigger. Because I really connected with Bella and Edward\u2019s tortured love story,\u201d Li shared with MTV News. What came out was a heartbreaking piano ballad about accepting that happier memories are left in the past, crumbling after being abandoned by a lover. It\u2019s featured in my favorite scene, in which Bella is sitting sullen in her room, feeling defeated after her emails to Edward\u2019s sister Alice bounce back, sulking in solitude as the seasons change. It\u2019s the track that, like for many other teenage girls, introduced me to Li\u2019s music and soundtracked my own adolescent depression. By the time that Li released her breakout album <em>Wounded Rhymes<\/em> in 2011, she had built a new global fanbase in part thanks to <em>New Moon<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p>Li wasn\u2019t the only musician yet to break into the mainstream tapped for <em>New Moon<\/em>. The movie also featured a stunning collaboration between Bon Iver and <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.pastemagazine.com\/music\/st-vincent\/st-vincent-crawls-through-the-fire\" target=\"_blank\">St. Vincent<\/a>. When they got involved in the movie, Justin Vernon was just coming off the success of Bon Iver\u2019s debut album, <em>For Emma, Forever Ago<\/em>, and St. Vincent was on the rise following the release of <em>Marry Me<\/em>, and <em>Actor<\/em> had just come out. Vernon and Annie Clark had met at Bonnaroo, bonding over their mutual admiration for each other\u2019s work, which led him to show her a song he was working on called \u201cRoslyn.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>When the <em>Twilight<\/em> team expressed interest in the track, Vernon brought Clark along to duet with him. It\u2019s a ghostly, pared-down acoustic ballad, with Vernon and Clark\u2019s voices woven tightly together. At the time, Clark wasn\u2019t aware of how massive it would be for either of their careers, but she quickly realized it would be a life-changing opportunity that would introduce her work to the masses. \u201cMy main thought was that I really wanted to do something with Justin because he\u2019s so great. Then, once it was announced, I started getting floods of calls and emails from family and extended family, who were thrilled,\u201d Clark said to <em>Pitchfork<\/em>. \u201cApparently, every woman in my family, unlike me, has read the entire series, so they\u2019re really just beside themselves about it. I have a sister who\u2019s nine, who called me screaming, and I have a sister who\u2019s 39, and she called me screaming. Only then did I realize the impact of it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Patsavas\u2019 inclusion of Grizzly Bear in collaboration with Beach House vocalist Victoria Legrand was also a move that paid off handsomely. Five months before <em>New Moon<\/em> hit theaters, Grizzly Bear released <em>Veckatimest<\/em>, which became one of the biggest indie albums of the 2000s, with Jay-Z among their new fans. When the band received the invitation to be part of the soundtrack, they were baffled but figured if <em>New Moon<\/em> was good enough for Thom Yorke, the frontman of one of the most respected rock bands of all time, then why not? The band wrote the song in just a couple of days and invited Legrand to sing on \u201cSlow Life.\u201d It\u2019s one of the most viscerally emotional songs in the movie, used during a pivotal scene in which Bella risks her life in a desperate attempt to bring Edward back. Legrand\u2019s voice sinks deeper in the mix alongside Bella, while Ed Droste\u2019s vocals come in just as Jacob pulls Bella out of the ocean, saving her life.<\/p>\n<p>Surprisingly, despite being a big Grizzly Bear and Beach House fan during my teen years, I didn\u2019t latch onto \u201cSlow Life,\u201d instead favoring tracks like \u201cPossibility\u201d and Sea Wolf\u2019s jaunty \u201cThe Violet Hour.\u201d I only came to love it after revisiting <em>New Moon<\/em>, and it\u2019s since become one of my favorites. When I found out that Grizzly Bear had invited Victoria Legrand to join them on a couple of dates for their New York City shows, I jumped on the chance to catch them play \u201cSlow Life.\u201d Clearly, I wasn\u2019t the only one excited, as the crowd went wild when Ed Droste announced they were about to perform the track for the first time in over a decade. I found myself getting teary-eyed, taking in \u201cSlow Life\u201d as it was meant to be heard, absorbing the austere beauty of Droste and Legrand\u2019s duet.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s not lost on me how absurd it is that a movie franchise about a high schooler choosing between a brooding, ancient vampire and a temperamental werewolf would be the vehicle for outstanding music from many artists I love. <em>Twilight<\/em> could\u2019ve easily gone for the low-effort, expected route and picked whichever big pop star to write a song about vampire romance. But as Vannucci Jr. said, that\u2019s not Patsavas\u2019 MO. She has always been tapped into what\u2019s about to break, choosing the potential of staying power over mainstream recognition and working with artists who understood the importance of creating music that would speak to teenagers and follow them through their formative years. It\u2019s that type of thoughtful curation that allows new generations to still discover the soundtrack and have it resonate as strongly as it did sixteen years ago.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong><em>Tatiana Tenreyro is<\/em> Paste<em>\u2018s associate music editor, based in New York City. You can also find her writing at<\/em> SPIN, NME, PAPER Magazine, The A.V. Club, <em>and other outlets.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><em> \u2018 The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n<p><em> \u2018 Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.pastemagazine.com \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>I am not a Twilight kind of girl. I still remember the first rumblings of Robert Pattinson being considered for the role of Edward Cullen, and my pretentious, film-obsessed adolescent self was horrified at the thought that my celebrity crush was destined to be in some teen romance slop. Couldn\u2019t they cast Tom Sturridge himself [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2127251,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"jnews-multi-image_gallery":[],"jnews_single_post":[],"jnews_primary_category":[],"jnews_social_meta":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[25179],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2127250","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-music"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/New-Moon-Has-the-Best-Soundtrack-of-the-21st-Century.jpeg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2127250","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2127250"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2127250\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2127252,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2127250\/revisions\/2127252"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2127251"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2127250"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2127250"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2127250"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}