Customer Reviews

Music From The O.C. Mix 4

5 star:		(17)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

The OC is a great show on TV. Not only are the plots, acting, and themes presented on the show great, but it is backed up with a great soundtrack. Songs on this CD are from the second season of The OC, and added a great mix of genres to amp up the show. Here is what I thought of the tracks:

1. Decent Days And Nights - The Futureheads: 5/5 = The Futureheads are a great band, this song gets you up and moving.
2. Goodnight And Go - Imogen Heap: 5/5 = Another great song, cool techno sounds bring this song to life. Great lyrics.
3. Fortress - Pinback: 5/5 = Good lyrics, simple chords, a good song.
4. On The Table - A.C. Newman: 5/5 = Fun, upbeat song. Good to listen to in the car
5. To Be Alone With You - Sufjan Stevens: 5/5 = This is a beautifully written song, with great lyrics and music. The banjo adds a nice touch.
6. Play - Flunk: 4/5 = Intresting...not much to say about it, but it grows on you
7. Scarecrow - Beck: 4/5 = Not the best Beck song I've heard, kind of melancholy and dull at points
8. The View - Modest Mouse: 5/5 = Fun song, has pop and energy, good lyrics
9. Hardcore Days & Softcore Nights - Aqueduct: 3/5 = Probably my least favorite song on the album
10. Cartwheels - The Reindeer Section: 5/5 = Nice, soft song, has a good sound
11. Eve, The Apple Of My Eye - Bell X1: 5/5 = Dreamy, sweet, sad song that makes you want to keep it on repeat
12. Champagne Supernova - Matt Pond PA: 5/5 = My favorite song on the album, mainly because of the moment it was played on the show. Nice long song, cool strings added into the mix of the song make it fun and worthwhile.

OVERALL GRADE: 56/60 = 93%
Good album if love The OC and want to get into new indie bands

I've read some of the reviews that are dogging on such a mainstream show insincerely showcasing the indie scene. I've actually been to L.A., met Josh Schwartz, and I can honestly say that for the most part, he's very sincere. The guys about 26, and Adam Brody's character is modeled very much after himself, including his love for indie music. My cousin worked on the set for the entire first season, and says the same thing.
As far at the album, and my opinion of it, I would have bought the entire album for the Reindeer Section's contribution. I wrote my first music review on that song, and it landed me the job.

Even if you can't stand this show, this album is worth a listen.

Personally speaking, I've never watched "The O.C.," the teen soap opera that follows the beautiful, monied inhabitants of Orange County. I'm more likely to be on a Hawaiian island, getting "Lost."

But even people who don't like "The O.C." have to admit that the hit series has done a wonderful service for indie music. Rather than mining current pop hits, the soundtrack makes use of the vast indie rock world. And the fourth soundtrack shows that they're not running out of groups -- it uses everything from neo-folk to trip-pop.

Among the better known groups on here are the Futureheads' energetic driven rock, Beck's melancholy lament, Pinback's medium-tempo pop with its stoned vocals, A.C. Newman's fuzzy piano pop, and Modest Mouse's twisting psychedelic tapestry. It's a credit to the people who selected this that they are apparently chosen for both catchiness AND quality.

But there are also lesser-known groups included here: Aqueduct provides an unmelodious (but strangely appealing) pop tune, Sufjan Stevens croons softly over his guitar, Bell X1 provides gentle piano-folk, and Matt Pond PA provides a rather lackluster finale.

The crowning jewels are probably the most underrated pop groups of today. One is Frou Frou's vocalist Imogen Heap, with the enchantingly sweet "Goodnight and Go." And Norwegian group Flunk gives us sparkling trip-folk with the delicate vocals -- not their best song, but still very pretty and airy.

Were it not for Matt Pond PA, this would probably be the ideal little mix CD, with both "big" indie bands and those that many people have never heard of, or at least never bothered to listen to. And this collection includes just about everything -- discordant rock to psychedelic grandeur to airy pop tunes. Some are catchy, some are gritty, but virtually all are wonderful.

Even if you've never visited "The O.C.," take a listen to the fourth soundtrack, and delve into some of the best music that MTV has never heard of. Well chosen.

"Mix 4" is the latest soundtrack from the FOX television sensation "The OC". Once again, this great collection of songs blends soothing mellow rock, with pop, dance, rock and ballad to create a beautifully diverse and enjoyable listen.

The music of "The OC" has gained considorable respect over the short couple of years, acting as the main launching pad for great artists including Death Cab, Jem and The Killers. Because of this show, and its terrific soundtracks, Mellow Rock and Alternative have certainly become two of my favourite musical genres.

So once again, producer (and creator of the show) Josh Schwartz has intoduced more fantastic artists, along with their wonderful songs. I know everyone has their tastes, but for me, my Top 3 songs would have to be:

1) "Cartwheels" - by The Reindeer Section: This is a soothing mellow rock song. It has beautiful musical arrangement, as it includes string instruments, which add a great melodic stength to the song.

2) "Eve, the Apple of My Eye" - by Bell XY: this is a moving ballad which has gorgeous piano chords the whole way through. The lyrics are also very metaphorical.

3) "Champagne Supernova" - by Matt Pond PA: this is a cover song of Oasis' original rock classic. This version is very well done, with energetic electric guitar and a string arrangement at the end, which adds real depth to the song.

Other great songs include Sufjan Stevens' "To be alone with you" a calm, and relaxing mellow song. It's beautiful! To lighten things up, it features a "dancier" track, "Play" by Flunk.

So as you can see, there is terrific range in the songs, from very slow all the way to very up-tempo, "The OC: Mix 4" is yet another brilliant soundtrack from the equally fantastic show! This is the perfect cure for an "OC" Obsessive Compulsive, such as myself! I can't wait for the next installment!

I am a large fan of The OC and every Thursday night I am watching the show. I used to think it was stupid until my girlfriend got me watching it and my friend let me borrow Season 1 on DVD and I was obsessed. The same friend also purchased this CD and let me borrow it and it is awesome! I love the music in The OC because I am into this type of music, like indie and emo, etc.

1. "Decent Days and Nights" by The Futureheads- 2.5/5
An alright start to the album, but nah, it's not the greatest song. Still decent though.
2. "Goodnight and Go" by Imogen Heap- 3.5/5
At first listen I thought it was too "pop" music sounding but now I like it a lot, it's catchy and nice to listen to.
3. "Fortress" by Pinback- 5/5
Probably my favourite on the album. It's an excellent song and I listen to it often, Pinback is a band worth looking at.
4. "On The Table" by A.C. Newman- 4/5
Good song, catchy, and one you can sing along to even on your first listen to it.
5. "To Be Alone With You" by Surfjan Stevens- 4/5
Soft, nice, and beautiful. A good OC song featured on a romance scene.
6. "Play" by Flunk- 3/5
Okay, the woman's voice is sort've drony, but worth a listen.
7. "Scarecrow" by Beck- 4.5/5
Excellent song, Beck is the man. I am a large fan of Beck and was happy to see a contribution by him on this album.
8. "The View" by Modest Mouse- 5/5
Another great song. Again, I am a large Modest Mouse fan and after seeing them live at the club on The OC, I was happy they received a spot on the album. A faster sort of a song.
9. "Hardcore Days and Softcore Nights" by Aqueduct- 3/5
A good song, but not a fan of the vocals on the song. Maybe after a few listens I might like this song more, because when it seems like a song that could take a few listens to enjoy.
10. "Cartwheels" by The Reindeer Section- 4/5
A happy, peaceful, relaxing song. Nice to sit back and listen to.
11. "Eve, The Apple of My Eye" by Bell X1- 5/5
Excellent song! At first I thought the vocals were that of Thom Yorke from Radiohead. Amazing job done on this song.
12. "Champagne Supernova" by matt pond PA- 4/5
An excellent cover of the Oasis masterpiece, although I like Oasis' version one million times better. matt pond PA did an excellent job.

All in all, a great album, it has it's ups and downs. If your a fan of indie/emo music, get this album. If your a g-unit rap-fan who likes The OC, don't get this album.

Seth would be proud.

The fourth installment in a great series of indie-flavoured soundtracks, the OC: Mix 4 strongly reflects the way the show itself has been lately - a bit more sombre and mellowed out, where the parties don't seem to be quite as frequent, and when they are - they're disasters. While there are a number of excellent tracks on this album, I found it didn't quite live up to the other soundtracks, but still, its a great buy.

What I mentioned about the mellowness is true. Very few of the tracks channel any sort of get up and party emotion - although Futureheads "Decent Days and Nights" gets the album off to a rocking start, and Modest Mouse's "The View" is a bit more on the upbeat side.

Truth be told, what really stands out on this album are the slower, angst-ridden songs - of which there are plenty. "To Be Alone With You" is a very soft guitar number, "Cartwheels" is all about the dreamy harmonies, and "Eve, The Apple of My Eye" is a sweet Brit-pop esque rock ballad. "Play" by Flunk ups the count of women vocalists on this album to two, in a sorta psychadelic style. Matt Pond PA lends a somewhat uninspired but altogether enjoyable cover of Oasis' "Champagne Supernova" as the closing track, which fans of the show will remember played as Summer & Seth reunited.

The rest of the album is mostly mid-tempo rock/emo/alternative/indie tracks - with two particular shiners. Imogen Heap's "Say Goodnight and Go" is a nice electronica turn that hasn't been explored much yet on the OC soundtracks - and rivals her excellent track on the Garden State album as part of Frou Frou. "Fortress" by Pinback is also excellent, to the point where these guys have crossover options if they want.

All in all, this album is much more subdued, and doesn't offer quite as many 'gems' as the previous soundtracks - however, it is still a great addition to the OC collection, and even better, your music collection.

Awsome cd,really like the added touch of Seths artwork on the cd cover etc :). Awsome cd great mix of rock, chill and lots of alternative artests. REALLY REALLY happy they brought out the Australian version with Evermores 'FOR ONE DAY', awsome song. For all over sea customers, try and get hold of the australian version of OC mix 4 it has the same 12 songs but with evermores song as a bonus. Well worth it!

Please don't get me wrong. I love the OC and all that it stands for. I love the way they take off-mainstream hits and brings them to the nation's attention, but this album is the worst of the four. It feels mashed together and scraped from under the producer's desk. I know my review isn't going to stop anyone from buying this, and I can't exactly say that it should, but I suggest purchasing one and two before you purchase the fourth. It simply isn't the same sound.

I would have bought this CD just for the song by Imogen Heap (of Frou Frou, and by the way when the heck are they going to put out a new disc?). Fortunately, as with the rest of the "Music From the O.C." series, this one is filled with gems from popular as well as semi-obsucre indie artists, and will introduce fans of the show to musicians who deserve a wider audience.

I'm not entirely sure who's responsible for selecting the songs for this series, but whoever it is has an ear for talent, and the entire series of CDs has helped me discover artists such as Jem, the Doves, South, the Album Leaf, and now with this latest release Pinback and a genius named Matt Pond PA, who delivers a sparkling cover of Oasis' "Champagne Supernova."

Whether you're a die-hard fan of the show or you can't tell the Coopers from the Cohens, do yourself a favor and buy this CD today. And then do yourself another favor and buy the CDs of the artists it features.

Get this for the Matt Pond Pa version of Champange Supernova, also Cartwheels by the Reindeer Section. Was hoping maybe to have enhanced with some scenes from the show but hey what can you do? Anyways pick this up.