Along with our review of Jennifer’s Body, HorrorYearbook continues coverage of the horror/comedy with a review of the film’s soundtrack. But after Madaleine’s negative review, it seems she has driven the nail’s head right in to the casket as these fifteen tracks are the pivotal of teen trends and teen angst. The Jennifer’s Body soundtrack can be said as nothing new in the genre of teen hardship films but with the horror element involved it asks the questions, does the track listing work within a genre that helps creates the whole idea of youth problems or does it need to be updated for the modern times and be reworked for the co-existing horror element? I believe in the latter. With the first question, you might be able to get away with this album in the 80′s and, perhaps, even in the early 90′s but I feel we’ve past that point in time to where we need to move on and try something more experimental, something new for the viewers and the listeners.

Besides one or two tracks, the album consists mainly of new alternative-pop mainstream hits from artists such as Florence + The Machine, Little Boots, and Panic! at the Disco. Nothing wrong with the bands above; to me they feel to fit the Diablo Cody’s style to every tight fit jeans wearer and every hip-smack talker. But with a film that is suppose to be more dark than other teen comedies, I expected something more dangerous, with heavier guitar riffs and not so much pop that I can fill a soda bottle with. The effect of these pop songs deliver an American Pie atmosphere and mentality and sets a non-existent dreary mood for the film.

Like I aforementioned, only a few tracks can appeal to the dark side that is Jennifer. Post-punk White Lies and metal band The Sword are the only two that achieve this. The Sword’s instrumental track, “Celestial Crown”, is a short yet fiercely guitar heavy track that resembles a modern Black Sabbath (please, don’t burn me at the stake for saying that Sabbath fans – I call it how I hear it). White Lies delivers a morbid meaning in their “Death” track but the way the lyrics are constructed and played out, they are able to make it a bit more uplifting somehow. The rest of the tracks are as average as the average high school movie can be; it offers relationship flaws and too cool for school lyrics. An album to which I would not think twice to say I could definitely hear with John Hughes’s The Breakfast Club movie and I think that Breakfast Club soundtrack tops Jennifer’s Body’s any day of my entire existence. So, don’t be fooled by the popular headliners. Only 2 or 3 tracks can be worthy a curious listen, making the rest of the soundtrack a dull piece of cinematic history.

Track Listing

1. Florence + The Machine – “Kiss With A Fist”

2. Panic! at the Disco – “A New Perspective”

3. Hayley Williams – “Teenagers”

4. Little Boots – “New in Town”

5. Dashboard Confessional – “Finishing School”

6. Low Shoulder – “Through The Trees” (Recommended: This track has more to offer than you’re stereotyped high school music.)

7. Cute is What We Aim For – “Time”

8. Screeching Weasel – “I Can See Clearly Now”

9. Cobra Starship – “Chew Me Up and Spit Me Out”

10. All Time Low – “Toxic Valentine”

11. Black Kids – “I’m Not Gonna Teach Your Boyfriend How To Dance With You”

12. White Lies – “Death” (Recommended: This post-punk group has one of the two tracks that actually feels, and is lyrically, relevant to the film’s darker side.)

13. The Sword – “Celestial Crown”

14. Silversun Pickups – “Little Lover’s so Polite”

15. Lissy Trullie – “Ready for the Floor”