For those who love the film series “The Twilight Saga,” you are in luck. The singer-songwriter of the group “The Smiths” is set to release an album inspired by the films. The album, entitled “Twilight Song,” will feature new music inspired by both the vampire saga and the musician’s own life experiences. The lead single, “Twilight,” was released last week.
The album’s title track is a haunting song that evokes both the dread of being trapped in a lonely world, as well as the beauty of the twilight. The song was inspired by the late Stephenie Meyer’s “Twilight,” as well as the band’s own experiences recording in New York City.
“You don’t always feel safe when you’re in New York city, especially when you’re a woman. There’s always a ‘Run for your life’ situation,” singer Ross Smith said in an interview with Billboard. “It’s terrifying and exhilarating at the same time. Even now when I walk the streets, particularly around the Bowery, I get chills. Sometimes I play music for myself, and it brings back great memories.”
According to Meyer, the author of the “Twilight” series, the title track will serve as a soundtrack for her own upcoming movie. “This will be the soundtrack to my next movie, which I’m going to call ‘Cosmic Collision’ and it will be about vampires,” Meyer told Rolling Stone. “So it will be the perfect combination of my two favorite things: music and vampires!”
The “Cosmic Collision” soundtrack will be released on November 17, 2016.
Haunting, Yet Familiar
The album’s first three tracks are anthems for the Twilight faithful. The opening track, “Twilight,” is already drawing comparisons to “The Twilight Saga” due to its infectious, pounding beat and haunting melody. The song is as beautiful as it is haunting, evoking images of a long and lonely night filled with uncertainty and dread.
Lead single “Twilight” will no doubt continue to dominate the airwaves for the foreseeable future. The album’s second track, “The Moon and the Sun,” is an ode to the wonder and mystery of the universe. The “Sun” is also, fittingly, dedicated to Meyer’s late son, Benjamin, who passed away in March 2015 at the age of 24. The song’s beautiful piano notes and soft acoustic strums recall the earlier work of Leonard Cohen, with whom Smith has frequently collaborated. Interestingly, the song’s lyrics speak of a “golden sun setting,” which is one of Cohen’s most famous songs, “The Sun Also Rises.”
While “The Sun” is one of the more traditional “Twilight” tracks, “Dove” and “Heartbreak Hotel” are two of the album’s more experimental tracks. The former is a tribute to the British fashion designer Diana Vreeland while the latter is a cover version of the Elvis Presley classic.
As with any great mystery, much of “Twilight Song” will remain a mystery until its album release on November 17. However, fans of “The Twilight Saga” and Smith’s own fans will no doubt have ideas as to what the title track is referencing, or if it even has a title at all. In any case, this much is clear: When the smoke clears, we will most assuredly have an appreciation for an incredible body of work.