Why 'The Hunger Games' Soundtrack is Already Better Than 'Breaking Dawn'

As we reported a few days ago, the first song off of the soundtrack for "The Hunger Games" is from Taylor Swift, a lullaby-esque number titled "Safe and Sound." Given that THG is an adaptation of a young adult novel, the choice of Swift was an obvious one, and seemed an indication that the soundtrack might lean toward a "The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn" style (the "Breaking Dawn" soundtrack featured Bruno Mars and other pop stars).

But you have to give T. Bone Burnett, the music producer working on the soundtrack who also put together the music for "Crazy Heart," some credit. Rather than cater solely to a young, pop-friendly audience, Burnett seems to realize that the appeal of "The Hunger Games" will likely reach farther than just teenage girls.

Thus, two more bands have been announced for the soundtrack, and they're both indie darlings with limited mainstream recognition: The Arcade Fire and The Decemberists.

The Arcade Fire is probably the better-known of the two, having won a Grammy last year for their album "The Suburbs." That at least got people who hadn't heard of them wonder "who the heck is The Arcade Fire?" and made them a little more recognizable. The band's most recent album featured a lot of anti-establishment (or at least anti-suburbs) sentiment, so the band should fit in with the cynical views of Katniss, Gale and Peeta and the oppression of the Panem government.

Also, their song for the soundtrack is titled "Horn of Plenty," so you can imagine the opportunities for irony there.

The Decemberists have been playing for years and specialize in folksy, sometimes genre-specific music that always tells a rich story. The band's narrative ability should lend a lot to the epic scope of the movie, though the title of their song, "One Engine," doesn't give away much in terms of what it's about.

Interestingly, The Decemberists already have a song about mining and the dangers therein called "Rox in the Box," which would have been perfect for the soundtrack considering District 12's coal responsibilities. Perhaps "One Engine" is something along the same lines.

With these two additions, the soundtrack is already showing a good deal of taste, as well as an appeal to a broader audience than the focused (and overly sappy) "Breaking Dawn" soundtrack. Score one point for "The Hunger Games."

These two songs haven't been released yet, but you can hear examples of music from The Arcade Fire and The Decemberists below: