Soundtrack Review: Twilight the Score (2008)

Posted by William Bard

December 23, 2008

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This is a review of the motion picture score for Twilight by Carter Burwell.

“a deep love or liking for a score like this either implies blindness to the difference between good and bad film scoring, or an intense/insane fandom for the subject on which the music is written”

Carter Burwell’s score to the eagerly anticipated 2008 teen vampire-romance, Twilight, is a rocky, dark work of film scoring. Instead of giving the audience a lush romantic motif, he doles out tracks of screeching electric guitars, vehement strings (which sound so small in number that they could be – and likely are – a small chamber ensemble), and dangerous-sounding, bass percussion.

Amidst all the darkness is a slightly dissonant piano motif representing the love of Bella Swan and Edward Cullen, the vampire for whom all teen girls around the world would die to have for a boyfriend. This piano motif can be heard numerous times throughout the score, though the most obvious (and beautiful) usage is in the track entitled Bella’s Lullaby, which would appear to be the gem of this entire album. In the film and novel, the lullaby is supposedly written and played for Bella by her vampire lover. While I wouldn’t necessarily call it a “lullaby,” due to its dark, tormented sound, it is certainly quite gorgeous and moving, and is the highlight of the score as presented here.

Track List

01. How I Would Die
02. Who Are They?
03. Treaty
04. Phascination Phase
05. Humans Are Predators Too
06. I Dreamt Of Edward
07. I Know What You Are
08. The Most Dangerous Predator
09. The Skin Of A Killer
10. The Lion Fell In Love With The Lamb
11. Complications
12. Dinner With His Family
13. I Would Be The Meal
14. Bella’s Lullaby
15. Nomads
16. Stuck Here Like Mom
17. Bella Is Part Of The Family
18. Tracking
19. In Place Of Someone You Love
20. Showdown In The Ballet Studio
21. Edward At Her Bed

Conclusion

I have very little else to say about this haunting (and at times, boring) score, other than that if you are a Twilight fan you will no doubt love it, as all who love the book and/or film do. But as far as I’m concerned, a deep love or liking for a score like this either implies blindness to the difference between good and bad film scoring, or an intense/insane fandom for the subject on which the music is written.