The Twilight Soundtrack Companion

The Twilight Saga films have long been kingmakers in the game of music sales. The financial bump that the films give bands is comparable to the effect Garden State and The Breakfast Club had. Maybe it's blasphemy to compare John Hughes movies to the Twilight Saga, but teen blockbusters have always been a vehicle for popularizing music, and Twilight has heightened even the awareness of major, established indie acts. So, let's say you're one of thaese newcomers and something in The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 1 caught your ear. What next? Some of these bands have intimidating discographies; do you just take it all in? We're here to help. Below are a few of the stand-out tracks from the film, accompanied by information and good starting points to look into. Band: The Features Twilight Song: From Now On The Features are a veteran indie rock band from Tennessee, although it took them most of their career to get their debut album out on Universal Records, Exhibit A. That album, with solid tracks like “The Idea of Growing Old” and “There's A Million Ways to Sing the Blues,” is their best entry point. After that, there's 2009's Some Kind of Salvation and this year's Wilderness, but the former is probably the more interesting offer. Band: Cider Sky Twilight Song: Northern Lights There seems to be a concentrated effort to put the tremendous weight of the Twilight franchise behind brand new bands, and Cider Sky is one example. The duo, primarily a collaborative vehicle for Simon Wilcox and Shridhar Solanki, has one new album out now called King. But if you require more sustenance, check out Wilcox's solo career, specifically Smart Function from 2004. It's a smoother, jazzier album that emphasizes her voice. Band: Angus & Julia Stone Twilight Song: Love Will Take you Outside of Iron & Wine, Angus & Julia Stone is the most notable ampersanded indie band on Breaking Dawn's soundtrack. The siblings' success is mostly in their native Australia, so if you wanted to get into them, you should probably know that their 2010 album Down The Way is gorgeous, particularly the fragile “For You” and the hypnotic “Big Jet Plane.” Go there. Band: Noisettes Twilight Song: Sister Rosetta Since 2003, Noisettes have been an interesting shape shifting band from England. Their single picked for Breaking Dawn is, itself, a weird half-blues half-punk song. If this kind of swerving is your thing, go straight for their 2009 album, Wild Young Hearts. The whole album twists into even more unexpected places. Sometimes it's new wave, sometimes it's pure indie rock, sometimes it's scaled down singer-songwriter stuff, but it always stays within the realm of highly effective pop.

Be sure to check out: Vitamin String Quartet Tribute to Twilight: Breaking Dawn Part 1 Available now at iTunes