THE Twilight saga is rapidly becoming a goldmine for anyone associated with it.

Hence, as the sequel New Moon becomes one of the biggest movies of all-time (let alone 2009), work has been going on furiously behind the scenes to raise the stakes.

Twilight director Catherine Hardwicke was replaced by Chris Weitz for the movie, while the soundtrack was also beefed up with more big name acts – no doubt buoyed by the fact that the soundtrack to the original film has so far sold over 170,000 copies in the UK and over 3.5 million copies worldwide.

There is some continuity, by virtue of the return of Muse… but it’s mostly a new cast of bands whose reputations speak for themselves… as well as mostly new material.

Picks come from Death Cab For Cutie’s striking lead track Meet Me On The Equinox, which boasts dark guitar riffs, a brooding (yet sing-along) chorus (which laments “everything, everything ends”) and some almost Placebo-like vocals.

Radiohead’s Thom Yorke delivers the electronically charged throb of Hearing Damage, which coincidentally services one of the most striking moments in the movie.

And Lykke Li brings her haunting, Scandinavian pop style to the melancholy Possibility.

Elsewhere, The Killers display their typical depth and showmanship with the slow-building and, again, haunting A White Demon Love Song (which boasts some great piano playing), and there’s a sparse, haunting slice of acoustica from Bon Iver & St Vincent that’s worth looking out for on Roslyn.

Black Rebel Motorcycle Club revisit the bluesy depression of their Howl-era material on Done All Wrong, which matches the brooding tone of the first part of the film, while Editors drip some melancholy piano chords over No Sound But The Wind.

It’s an album that taps into the sense of longing, loneliness and uncertainty surrounding the film… and while not the happiest, liveliest soundtrack you’re likely to hear, it’s effective in its own way.

Indeed, with Muse contributing a new version of their vaudeville piano track I Belong To You and impressing as well, they complete another brilliant line-up that serves as a really good stand-alone listen as well as a terrific movie companion. It’s worth the hype surrounding it.

Read our review of New Moon

Download picks: Meet Me On The Equinox, Hearing Damage, Possibility, I Belong To You, Roslyn, Done It All Wrong, Shooting The Moon

Track listing:

1. Death Cab For Cutie – Meet Me On The Equinox
2. Band of Skulls – Friends
3. Thom Yorke – Hearing Damage
4. Lykke Li – Possibility
5. The Killers – A White Demon Love Song
6. Anya Marina – Satellite Heart
7. Muse – I Belong To You (New Moon Remix)
8. Bon Iver & St Vincent – Roslyn
9. Black Rebel Motorcycle Club – Done All Wrong
10. Hurricane Bells – Monsters
11. Sea Wolf – The Violet Hour
12. Ok Go – Shooting The Moon
13. Grizzly Bear (With Victoria Legrand) – Slow Life
14. Editors – No Sound But The wind
15. Alexandre Desplat – New Moon (The Meadow)

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