The New Moon soundtrack bolted to the #2 position on the charts after it was released last week, and if it hadn’t been for Michael Buble, it would certainly have been #1 (Well played, Buble; well played, sir).

I don’t need a marketing guru to tell me how popular the series by Stephenie Meyer is. I just have to talk to my daughter (age 13) to know that the Twilight series is something that is more than a passing fad and a cleverly marketed story that appeals to teenage girls. Sure, all the product surrounding the series is designed to evoke eeks and gasps from its targeted demo, but it’s the story and how well it translates to the screen that’s really of importance to my daughter and her friends. The fact that a group like Paramore recorded an extremely popular song for the first film’s soundtrack is a wonderful addition to the Twilight universe, but soundtracks are one thing, and the story another.

All that said, however, I asked my daughter and her two friends (all of whom are fans of the Twilight series) to listen to the New Moon soundtrack and offer their thoughts on music that’s been carefully chosen to appeal to their tastes…or has it?

First off, let’s meet our teen critics — all of whom are in eighth grade. (more…)