Heroes Soundtrack - Win CDs

As a film lover I do enjoy a good soundtrack album. I'm not talking about John Williams or Danny Elfman orchestral scores, and they do have their place, but the ones that amount to interesting compilation albums of familiar and lesser-known contemporary songs. On occasions the soundtracks can be better than the films they are attached to. UNTIL THE END OF THE WORLD, and BATMAN AND ROBIN are two that immediately spring to mind. There are also plenty of soundtracks that stand up to repeated listenings than the movies do viewing, such as TOMB RAIDER, and ROMEO AND JULIET. And TV has produced some interesting music compilations too. There were two albums of great songs from BUFFY, although the first is definitely the stronger. And for a slightly more mature audience THE SOPRANOS soundtracks offer everything from the instantly recognisable theme from the Alabama 3 to Bruce Springsteen, from Frank Sinatra to Bob Dylan.

Now, with the second season of HEROES on BBC, a soundtrack of tunes from the series has been released, and is available from iTunes, or on a CD. And it’s a mixed bag of tunes, almost as diverse as the shows characters. Apart from the original Indian influenced music score by Wendy and Lisa, which includes the 13-second theme (perfect for a ringtone), there are songs from familiar artists such as The Chemical Brothers, Wilco, The Jesus & Mary Chain and Bob Dylan and lesser known ones such as Nada Surf and Panic! At the Disco. How these songs fit into the series or when they appeared in it is beyond me, but being such a multilayered show it is quite easy to miss the musical cues when concentrating on the onscreen action. Even there, there are so many things happening that only become clear on a second or third viewing.

The series aesthetic style emulates that of an American comic book, using renderings from artistic consultant Tim Sale; similar illustrations have been created for the album artwork by award-winning designer Steven Parke for each of the soundtracks musicians, such as the one on the right for the New Pornographers.

With such a eclectic mix of music there is bound to be something that doesn't appeal, but at least with iTunes you can pick the tracks you like. An interesting, but rather obvious, choice of closing track is Bowie's Heroes. But the music editors have missed other opportunities from the annals of rock; for example, The Stranglers' No More Heroes as Sylar's theme, or Little Feat's Time Loves a Hero for Hiro.

Review: Chris Patmore

Watch music clip here. May contain season two spoilers.

We have 10 copies of the soundtrack to give away, courtesy of Warner's. To be in the draw, click on the link below. Competition ends May 31 2008.