After I read The Hunger Games trilogy last year, I I fashioned for each book its own little soundtrack. As if intent on outdoing me, the forces behind The Hunger Games film invented "Songs From District 12 And Beyond," hands down one of the most amazing film soundtracks ever compiled. They put together an album strictly of brand new original songs by most of the biggest names in modern music. How did they even do it? I don't know. But I remain impressed. Almost every song on here is excellent, which is very rare even for compilation-style (i.e. previously released material) soundtracks, let alone new songs.
1. Arcade Fire – “Abraham’s Daughter”
2. The Secret Sisters – “Tomorrow Will Be Kinder”
3. Neko Case – “Nothing To Remember”
4. Taylor Swift featuring The Civil Wars – “Safe & Sound”
5. Kid Cudi – “The Ruler and The Killer”
6. Punch Brothers – “Dark Days”
7. The Decemberists – “One Engine”
8. The Carolina Chocolate Drops – “Daughter’s Lament”
9. The Civil Wars – “Kingdom Come”
10. Glen Hansard – “Take The Heartland”
11. Maroon 5 featuring Rozzi Crane – “Come Away To The Water”
12. Miranda Lambert featuring Pistol Annies – “Run Daddy Run”
13. Jayme Dee – “Rules”
14. Taylor Swift – “Eyes Open”
15. The Low Anthem – “Lover Is Childlike”
16. Birdy – “Just A Game”
Only three of the songs are actually featured in the film (and solely in the credits), but it's not simply a soundtrack, it's a bloody concept album. The majority of the record maintains a surprisingly legitimate folk music sound. I'm not talking about the Neil Young/Leonard Cohen "acoustic rock is folk music" mentality, I'm talking about the folk music you would hear at a Newport Folk Festival in the 60s, real old school chizz. In fact I'm pretty sure the implication is that these are songs actually being played IN District 12, by its downtrodden sub-depression denizens. Astoundingly, many of the songs seem to have been written specifically about The Hunger Games. Most notable among them is "Daughter's Lament," by The Carolina Chocolate Drops an iconically a capella (save a very subtle backdrop) powerfully belted folk tune detailing the day Katniss's father died. But the concept doesn't ebb quite yet. The grim, deadly serious tone of the album seems to embellish on the movie's content, filling in certain emotional blanks that the film adaption didn't have time to dig deeply into.
My Hunger Games soundtracks were based around the series' dichotomy between anthemic gore and maudlin aftermath, expressed by pairing fist-pumping heavy metal with melancholic ballads. You won't exactly find any Slayer or Mastodon on Songs From District 12, but interestingly enough, there is a stark dichotomy: the album is divided among organic folk music with a centuries' old feel, and modern indie rock. It even gets into genuinely heavy material with Glen Hansard's rip-roaring 'Danzig mixed with Pixies-styled' "Take The Heartland," quite possibly my favorite song on the album. In addition to getting class-A artists to write songs about The Hunger Games, I'm also curious how they coerced such jaw-dropping collaborations. Miranda Lambert teams up with Pistol Annies for the haunting and catchy "Run Daddy Run." Taylor Swift teams up with The Civil Wars -- themselves the masterful artisans behind another of the album's absolute best tracks -- for the tour de force of the record, "Safe & Sound." With icy folk picking and chilling phrases like "Don't you dare look out your window, darling everything's on fire," it's a beautiful and deadly track. It cultivates peace of mind amidst a bed of turmoil and perfectly fits with The Hunger Games.
With a first act like this, what could they possibly be planning for the companion albums to Catching Fire, and Mockingjay? Will the folk genre carry over or will it be completely different each time? In any case, if they intend to repeat the splendor of the original soundtrack, I can honestly say I'm more excited about the new soundtracks than I am about the new films! And that is, of course, saying something.
Here's what they SHOULD do, since I'm such a snotty little soundtrack compiler in my own right (let's ignore the fact that they already trounced me in the first round),
1- Continue to court Taylor Swift, The Civil Wars, The Carolina Chocolate Drops, and Glen Hansard. They provided the 'genius' moments on Songs From District 12 and should be strongly encouraged to do likewise again. But don't rely heavily on acts from the first record, the best track should be by new additions.
2- Grab those top-name artists you missed this time around. Katy Perry is actually more than adept at acoustic material. Paramore has done a variety of soundtrack work. Rihanna is a natural choice. Kelly Clarkson seems empowered enough to put out a self-assurance anthem at least as fitting as Eyes Open. Definitely drop Arcade Fire and The Decemberists for Bon Iver and MGMT. Add in Foster The People, Mumford & Sons, and Andrew Bird. I'm feeling Green Day, too. Throw a bone to some heavy artists as well such as Five Finger Death Punch, Lamb of God, and DevilDriver.
3 - Dig slightly deeper into the past. You have a lot of the best modern names already. Older acts are less likely to come out with a new good song, but can you imagine a Hunger Games soundtrack populated by legends such as Bruce Springsteen, Neil Young, Paul McCartney, Mariah Carey, Pearl Jam, and Sonic Youth. Bruce's epic working class sentimentalism is born for The Hunger Games. And if you really want to do something to beat the spectacle of this first record, try reuniting Pixies, My Bloody Valentine, and heck....... Pink Floyd.
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