Let's all hop in the wayback machine to 2002, when a little movie called Spider-Man made us believe that Tobey Maguire was an action hero and that Kirsten Dunst was an attractive redhead. Let us also shake our collective fists at that movie, for subjecting us to that damn song "Hero" all summer. Ugh, Nickelback. All Music Guide says it so well: "it's a disappointment that the soundtrack to Spider-Man is so calculated, pitched directly at the nü-metal/rap-rock/post-grunge crowd with little regard for flair or personality," and "it all winds up as something that sounds crafted for modern rock radio, not the movie, especially since it lacks both the colorful zest of the film's design or the geekiness of Peter Parker."
Ahh, how the times (and tastes of Madison Avenue's favorite marketing segment, 18-24 year-olds)have changed. Where was once modern rock, there's now indie rock, and the soundtrack for Spider-Man 3 proves that. This time, Spidey will swing to the sounds of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, the Flaming Lips, Wolfmother. "Great," you're thinking, "another album of songs 'inspired by the motion picture'" which everyone knows means "it wasn't in the freaking movie!" Well, the kids at Record Collection, home to the Walkmen (yeah, they show up on this list), figured they'd sweeten the pot a bit by making sure that almost all the tracks are previously unreleased. Which, to be honest, ain't that bad. Here's the tracklist to the soundtrack, hitting streets on May 1.
p.s.- did you really think that the Flaming Lips could pass up a chance to write a song about Spider-Man? Really?
Snow Patrol — “Signal Fire”
The Killers — “Move Away”
Yeah Yeah Yeah’s — “Sealings”
Wolfmother — “Pleased To Meet You”
The Walkmen — “Red River”
Black Mountain — “Stay Free”
The Flaming Lips — “The Supreme Being Teaches Spider-Man How To Be In Love”
Simon Dawes — “Scared Of Myself”
Chubby Checker — “The Twist”
Rogue Wave — “Sight Lines”
Jason Schwartzman (featuring Kirsten Dunst) — “Summer Day”
Jet — “Falling Star”
Sounds Under Radio — “Portrait of A Summer Thief”