It's impossible to listen to Music From the O.C. Mix 2 without wondering what the 16 acts represented think of being associated with the show. These, after all, are largely the kind of too-cool-for-school indie bands--Nada Surf, Death Cab for Cutie, Eels, Interpol--you'd normally expect to run screaming from anything so heavily soaked in mainstream reek. Credit the show's exceptional music supervisor Alexandra Patsavas, then, with rounding them up and wrangling them into contributing, and also for choosing her selections carefully. More than a collection that would slip effortlessly into any hipster's car CD player for its left of the dial leanings, 2 showcases many of these emerging bands' best songs yet: The Thrills' "Big Sur" is a sun-soaked slice of pop heaven, "Maybe I'm Amazed" makes elegant use of a cover to capture the dreaminess of the darkly talented Jem, and "You Got Me All Wrong," by Dios Malos, is maybe the most ravishing rainy day rock song ever written. As with the first O.C. mix, 2 is enhanced with scenes from the show. Pop it into your computer and hum along as the drama unfolds; if anyone catches you, tell them it's the coolness of the music you're captivated by. -Tammy La Gorce
- Format: Enhanced, Soundtrack
