Hunger Games (Songs from District 12 and Beyond/Original Soundtrack) - Various Artists

The Hunger games is a series of books that I would bet my hat on the largest majority of people who have access to TV, internet or the outside world in general will have heard of. You have to have to have been living under a rock in order to avoid the hype that has surrounded both the books and the more recent release of the film.This is a CD that is inspired by the story and the film but it is not the official sound track for the film, don't make that mistake. There is a CD that is the official soundtrack for the film but this isn't it. I haven't actually seen the film although I have read the books so I can't comment on how it compares to the actual track, all I can comment on is the actual music and how it relates to the book.

You can listen to this CD in two ways. You can listen to it as a load of unrelated tracks by various artists and hear the music alone, and to be fair this does work. The tracks as a whole have good lyrics and are very listenable to so even if you haven't seen the film or read the books you will not be disappointed in your purchase. The only issue would be that the style of the music differs drastically from song to song as this is very much a themed album rather than a specific style. The second way in which you can listen to this album is the way I would imagine it has been intended for and that's with the book in mind so you can not only get the emotions in the song but have a reference point to a very powerful story as well.

Tracks

Abraham's Daughter - Arcade Fire 3:22
And when he saw her, raised for the slaughter,
Abraham's daughter raised her bow.
As you can tell from the title this is a song that is based on the old Biblical tale of Abraham taking his son to a deserted spot on the orders of his Lord and preparing to sacrifice him. But it has a twist to it insofar that it is from the eyes of a daughter who is hiding on the hill watching her father. Done to the beat of a snare drum the story of a girl defying her father has strong resonances to The Hunger Games with the eerie voice of a female singing what could almost be a marching song of the sacrifice of children. It's haunting and oddly catchy but in no way could it be called a pop song, it's like the anthem of Katniss the protagonist female who offers herself as Tribute for the games in the place of her sister. The games being a fight to the death over a period of time between 24 children from each of the 12 districts. It's not a comfortable song, it doesn't do what you expect it to but it is a very striking song. The song ends with the strong beats of the snare drum as an instrumental and although the song is odd it's one that will be resonating with you long after the last beat.

Tomorrow will be kinder - The Secret Sisters 3:26
Sorrow weighs my shoulders down
And trouble haunts my mind
This song is much less martial than its preceding song which fits with the lyrics that it has. It's a song of hope, of a better future. It's a song of dark days that have passed and of something to look forwards to. The female vocalist has a very folky style of singing which is complemented by the minimalistic string accompaniment. It's a song that many of us can relate to in the darker times of life when we have just figured out how to push things back on track. It's gentle style maximises the effect of the lyrics and reinforces the desperation and hopelessness that Katniss felt so many times alone in the arena, but instead of dwelling on that instead it focuses on the hope of something better to come. It's touching and very thought provoking,

Nothing to remember - Neko Case 2:59
Don't take me home
I can't face that yet
I'm ashamed that I'm barely human
In contrast to the optimism of the previous song this is a heartbreaking reminder that at the end of the day our actions are what we will be judged on. We can spend our lives trying to be invisible or we can try to make our mark on the world around us. It's both a song of what we can give to others around us but also of the desperate need to have something to hold on, something to keep us human. Like the previous song it's in the folk style of music with a very striking female vocalist singing very heart felt lyrics. As far as the story goes it is again a song that allows you to re-visualise Katniss in the arena in a struggle for life that has forced her to do things that she would never have thought of doing before she volunteered as Tribute. There's a sense of loss that pervades the song and it's one that really tugs on your heart strings particularly with the desperate plea at the end of the song to Give me something to remember.

Safe and Sound - Taylor Swift 4:00
Just close your eyes
The sun is going down
You'll be alright
No one can hurt you now
Another folk song with yet another female vocalist singing a heart felt emotional song. It's got a kind of slightly tinny sound to it complemented by the vocalists slightly breathless style of singing which I would usually find irritating but in this gives it the sense of desperation that makes it so haunting. It's a song I can imagine a mother singing to her daughter, or a big sister singing to a youngster, as she desperately tries to retain a sense of hope in the face of unbelievable danger. To anyone who has ever struggled through a night not knowing what they will face in the morning and clinging onto hope that it won't be as bad this time; this is your song. To anyone who has ever wanted to protect someone they love from the truth; this is your song. This is the forth haunting and breath taking track in this album and it's one of my favourites; it is completely stunning and is actually part of the film soundtrack. I can see why, it fits perfectly with the desperation of a life without hope and of Katniss trying to provide for both her mother and sister.

The Ruler and the Killer - Kid Culi 4:33
Keep your mind on the mission
Remember you belong to me
This is the first song which I actively didn't like on hearing it and to fair still skip over on the track. This isn't actually because it's a bad song but relates back to what I'd said about the mix of genres; it's not my type of music. It's no less powerful but it's a heavy rock/metal song with a gravelly male vocalist almost growling the lyrics over a heavy drum beat. It's a song demanding respect and power and I would personally aliken it an anthem for chavs. It matches the darkness and the cruelty of The Capitol and of the Hunger Games themselves. It's loud, it's menacing and it's deliberately brutal so if it's a style of music you enjoy it is probably perfect. But to me it's just noise.

Dark Days - Punch Brother 3:54
We don't have to reap the fear they sow,
Friends, as long as we hide our love away,
In complete contrast to the chaos and noise of the preceding song this is a much more mournful, quiet song of hidden rebellion. We're back to the folk style with a finger plucking mandolin in the background and whilst it doesn't have the hard hitting power of the other songs if given a chance it's a beautiful melody with striking lyrics. The main male vocalist reminded me a lot of Gale in the novel who loves Katniss but can't let this be seen because of the relationship between her and Peeta. So instead it's a song for all the things he cannot say out loud. It's a song which could be mistaken for a weak song of unrequited love but that would be missing the undeniable rebellion that lies behind the words.

One Engine - The Decemberists 3:02
One engine barely makes it away
Hold on, they're breaking their bonds
This is another track that is actually on the film soundtrack and it goes back to the rock style that we saw in The Ruler and The Killer but in a more musical way which meant that I actually quite liked this one. It is a song that embodies the sense of holding your ground in the hope of future rebellion and I can sense the poorest people of Panem in it. It's a grungy song with a bitter edge to it and the lyrics show the resentment at being ground down to the floor but there's the flash of excitement of being finally able to make a difference.

Daughter's Lament - The Carolina Chocolate Drops 2:47
Up spoke-up spoke a mockingjay
Up from a willow tree
Saying, "You had a father in the mines
Who's gone this day from thee, thee
This is one of the shortest tracks on the album but the story it tells is powerful enough that you will barely notice that. It is one of the few songs that is very specific to the story of the The Hunger Games and is kind of a prequel to the main story. The seven stanzas are sung almost a cappella to the same very simple celtic folk style tune with no break or refrain to create contrast or change and it starts with two stanzas of dialogue between Katniss and her father. It is then the story of Katniss finding our that her father had been killed and the impact that this had on her and her family. It is a poignant song and the simple style is the kind of music that would be used in times gone by to pass a story on through the ages and it works well as a half way point through the album as the simplicity commands you to stop and listen and think about what is being told. It's the story of the origin of the rebellion leader.

Kingdom Come - The Civil Wars 3:43
Run, run, run away
Buy yourself another day
This is another folk song which is sung as a stunning duet by a male and female vocalist which guitar backing. Like many of the tracks it can be seen in two ways; if you look at it in terms of the plot of the book it is at the most basic a song of advice for the Tributes who are from the weaker Districts. It's the advice to run for the tree line instead of fighting at the melee of the games because there is no way they will be able to get out of it alive, the Career Tributes will have them. But at the same time it's a song telling the tale of when everything goes wrong and you can't see a way out how there is always a way to survive and there will always be someone waiting for you. It starts breathy and haunting and gradually builds into something more pressing and urgent with the advice that it will be over soon and there is someone waiting for you.

Take the Heartland - Glen Hansard 2:45
and I’m gonna take their life with a knife
and I’m gonna sit and wait, not fall
Take the Heartland with a sense of revenge
This is in actual fact the shortest track on the album but it is also the most vicious, the most brutal and the one with a frantic energy that comes from a struggle between life and death. Whilst the previous short track was a folk piece of stunning simplicity, this is a chaos of drums, guitar and a low bassy feel with a screamed set of vocals. The power and intensity throughout is unmistakeable and whilst it isn't my favourite track on the album this a song which refuses to be ignored and will demand your attention even when he reaches near incoherence.

Come Away to the Water - Maroon 5 5:13
Come away little lamb come away to the water
Give yourself so we may live anew
From the shortest track to the longest track this is another track that focuses on the sacrifice which these 24 children are making. The imagery all the way through is that of driving the sacrificial lamb to the water to die so that the others may live. This is the meaning of The Games and the parents who lose their children know that this is the only way that the Capitol will not destroy them. The Games are a way of showing the Capitols power and of highlighting the vulnerability felt by the people. Although the track is very gentle folk music sung by a male vocalist there is a real air of threat and of danger lurking in it in the gravelly tones and the underlying meaning of the lyrics.

Run Daddy Run 2:45
Mama’s been crying in the kitchen
Sister’s been afraid of the dark
I’ve been gathering the pieces of all these shattered hearts.
As it appears with many of the tracks on this album the most powerful ones are often the shortest and this is one where I really wished it went on longer. Its a dark, powerful song of the devil and the fear that is felt and it's in complete contrast to the soft instrumental and the harmonic voice adding an extra layer of uncertainty through the song. It is the story of Katniss' life and how the loss of her father affected her entire families life and it's got a raw, moving power to it through the effect that one loss can have on an entire family. It is not the story of the champion, it's the story of a girl; lost, alone and desperately wanting her daddy.

Rules - Jayme Dee 3:27
You tell me that you hear me and all your memories are real,
But how do I know you don't just feel what you've been told to feel?.
This is a very gentle folk piece which focuses on the relationship between Katniss and Peeta and how the love is a strange mix of truth and lie leading to a sense of uncertainty and confusion. How the rules of the Games have led to this fear and sense of betrayal. At its most basic this is a love song which deals with the fear of whether the other person is actually telling the truth and the sense of betrayal that comes from being hurt. The low alto vocalist covers this perfectly and whilst it can be seen as a simple love piece there is a sense of something deeper.

Eyes Open - Taylor Swift 4:05
So here you are, two steps ahead and staying on guard
Every lesson forms a new scar
They never thought you'd make it this far
This is one of my favourite tracks on the album as it is a song of fear, of being unable to relax of having to constantly keep your eyes open and be on guard. The lyrics here make this song as whilst Taylor Swifts previous song on this album was a song of hope this isn't. It's a song of being watched, of being unsafe, of knowing that everyone is waiting for you to break down, of having to rely on yourself for your own survival. It shouldn't be so powerful as it's the albums first foray into what I'd call country pop but instead Taylor Swifts powerful passion shows the transition between childhood and adulthood perfectly.

Lover is Childlike - The Low Anthem 4:16
My lover ain't Christ-like
But my lover is childlike
In this piece is the reminder that whilst Katniss is everyone's martyr and the touchstone for the rebellion she is also a child who never asked for any of this. It's a low, gentle piece and the instrumental backing is almost louder than the actual piece. It's beautiful but perhaps a little too abstract for me; whereas the other piece really spoke to me this was simply a song for the background.

Just a Game - Birdy 4.01
And now I know my place
We're all just pieces in their games
This is a stunning vocal song and Birdy really does have a haunting voice that captures perfectly the confusion and the betrayal. It's kind of the counter piece to Jayme Dee's Rules as it's showing the vulnerability of needing someone to protect you but also being aware that while one person is simply doing what they've been told to you know that you are part of one big game. This really is a beautiful track to end the album on as it sums up the entire Hunger Games perfectly; the need, the vulnerability, the sense of loss and the lack of being able to trust those around you.

Conclusion

This has turned into somewhat of an epic of a review, but in all honesty this album deserves it. I have rarely listened to an album which puts so much raw power, vitality and conviction into all of its tracks. This is a stunning album that not only fits The Hunger Games absolutely perfectly, but can also speak very deeply to each and every one of us whether we have seen The Hunger Games or not. The depth of feeling and meaning in this album is something that I am massively impressed by and I will be looking out for more work by many of these artists. Do I recommend? Yes, whole-heartedly!