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The hit television show “The O.C.” is back with its fourth soundtrack in two
years, and while the show is arguably not nearly as entertaining as it once was,
Music From The O.C.: Mix 4 still provides a nice arena for the show’s
fans to discover new music. Spanning twelve tracks over fifty minutes, the
compilation features several good songs from commercially unknown bands like The
Futureheads’ “Decent Days and Nights,” Pinback’s “Fortress,” A.C. Newman’s “On
The Table” and Flunk’s “Play.” The real gem is Aqueduct’s “Hardcore Days &
Softcore Nights,” which combines a drum machine, an infectious groove and catchy
lyrics resulting in just less than four minutes of utopia.
However, the mix isn’t full of unknowns. Beck’s “Scarecrow” (taken from an
episode that featured nothing but Beck’s new album) provides a safe haven for
fans that want something a little more familiar. Modest Mouse, on the heels of
their performance at the show’s Peach Pit-ish concert venue, the Bait Shop,
provide the excellent “The View” from their smash album
Good News For
People Who Love Bad News. It would be better to have some good non-album
tracks from the two artists, but these songs serve the mix fairly well.
The compilation comes to a close with an unnecessary (though not entirely
unlikable) cover of “Champagne Supernova” by Matt Pond PA, which makes me wonder
if the show couldn’t get rights to the original Oasis version or if there’s a
rule that all songs on The O.C. must be post-millennium. Nevertheless,
fans of the show won’t be disappointed with the variety and quality of the mix
and are bound to discover a few new artists to enjoy.
~John Paulsen
jpaulsen@bullz-eye.com
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