The Hunger Games

Rating

Album: The Hunger Games: Songs from District 12 and Beyond
#	Song Title		Time
1)	Abraham's Daughter	More Info...	3:22
2)	Tomorrow Will Be Kinder The Hunger Games Soundtrack Version	More Info...	3:26
3)	Nothing To Remember	More Info...	2:59
4)	Safe & Sound The Hunger Games/Soundtrack Version	More Info...	4:00
5)	The Ruler And The Killer	More Info...	4:33
6)	Dark Days	More Info...	3:54
7)	One Engine The Hunger Games Soundtrack Version	More Info...	3:02
8)	Daughter's Lament	More Info...	2:47
9)	Kingdom Come	More Info...	3:43
10)	Take The Heartland	More Info...	2:45
11)	Come Away To The Water	More Info...	5:13
12)	Run Daddy Run	More Info...	2:45
13)	Rules	More Info...	3:27
14)	Eyes Open	More Info...	4:05
15)	Lover Is Childlike	More Info...	4:16
16)	Just A Game	More Info...	4:01

Album: The Hunger Games: Songs from District 12 and Beyond
#	Song Title		Time
1)	Abraham's Daughter	More Info...	3:22
2)	Tomorrow Will Be Kinder The Hunger Games Soundtrack Version	More Info...	3:26
3)	Nothing To Remember	More Info...	2:59
4)	Safe & Sound The Hunger Games/Soundtrack Version	More Info...	4:00
5)	The Ruler And The Killer	More Info...	4:33
6)	Dark Days	More Info...	3:54
7)	One Engine The Hunger Games Soundtrack Version	More Info...	3:02
8)	Daughter's Lament	More Info...	2:47
9)	Kingdom Come	More Info...	3:43
10)	Take The Heartland	More Info...	2:45
11)	Come Away To The Water	More Info...	5:13
12)	Run Daddy Run	More Info...	2:45
13)	Rules	More Info...	3:27
14)	Eyes Open	More Info...	4:05
15)	Lover Is Childlike	More Info...	4:16
16)	Just A Game	More Info...	4:01

Performer Notes

Audio Mixer: Mike Piersante.
Recording information: Avatar Studios, New York, NY; Blackbird Studios, Nashville, TN; Conway Recording, Los Angeles, CA; Flora Recording and Playback, Portland, OR; Groove Masters, Santa Monica, CA; Pain In The Art Studio, Nashville, TN; Rocket Carousel Studio, Los Angeles, CA; The Village, Los Angeles, CA.
Photographer: Tim Palen.
One of the biggest signs that the team bringing Suzanne Collins' violent, riveting young adult book series The Hunger Games to the big screen was headed in the right direction was the choice of T-Bone Burnett as the soundtrack's producer. He did an award-winning job of bringing old-timey music to vibrant life for the Coen Brothers' O Brother, Where Art Thou?, and here he helps make sure that the music captures the series' places and themes as vividly as possible. The Hunger Games' story takes place in a post-apocalyptic North America reorganized into 12 districts that serve a decadent, corrupt capital and must sacrifice two children each year to a nationally televised fight to the death. Moody heroine Katniss Everdeen hails from coal-mining District 12, and there's a strong Appalachian bent to steely laments like the Punch Brothers' "Dark Days," the Civil Wars' "Kingdom Come," and honeyed lullabies such as Secret Sisters' "Tomorrow Will Be Kinder" and Neko Case's "Nothing to Remember." Meanwhile, rock and rap embody the dread and terror of the games and the arrogance of the forces behind them. Arcade Fire open the soundtrack with the marvelously tense "Abraham's Daughter"; the Decemberists and Glen Hansard go in for the kill with "One Engine" and "Take the Heartland," respectively, and Kid Cudi channels the doom surrounding the games with "The Ruler and the Killer." Other songs reveal just how carefully Collins' text was treated in this part of bringing it to film: daughters and fathers (or the lack thereof) is a significant theme within the story, and Carolina Chocolate Drops' "Daughter's Lament" and "Run Daddy Run" by Miranda Lambert and the Pistol Annies reflect it ably. However, the song most crucial to the book is "Safe & Sound," a soothing but sad lullaby repeated at key moments in the story. Fortunately, it's done justice by Taylor Swift and the Civil Wars, who give a reassuring warmth to its potentially eerie lyrics. The Hunger Games: Songs from District 12 and Beyond would be an impressive collection even if it weren't associated with one of 2012's most anticipated films, but the care put into the soundtrack makes it an experience that much richer for fans of the books, the movie, and any of the artists here. ~ Heather Phares

Professional Reviews

Rolling Stone (p.70) - 3 stars out of 5 -- "Arcade Fire fill the darkness with spectral portent on 'Abraham's Daughter,' and the Decembrists provide a jolt of electricity with 'One Engine,' which sounds like R.E.M. in Sixties garage mode."

Entertainment Weekly (p.73) - "Haunted by gorgeously sad Southern-belle harmonies from Miranda Lambert and her fellow shotgun-toting Pistol Annies....Best of all is Kid Cudi's gothic rap-rock epic 'The Ruler and the Killer'..." -- Grade: B