Music from The O.C.: Mix 1

1	Paint the Silence / South 5:53
2	Just a Ride / Jem 3:18
3	Honey and the Moon / Joseph Arthur 4:43
4	The Way We Get By / Spoon 2:40
5	Move On / Jet 4:21
6	How Good It Can Be / The 88 3:51
7	Caught by the River / Doves 5:53
8	Rain City / Turin Brakes 4:03
9	We Used to Be Friends / The Dandy Warhols 3:20
10	Dice / Finley Quaye 4:15
11	Orange Sky / Alexi Murdoch 6:18
12	California / Phantom Planet 3:15

Barnes & Noble

Fox's teen drama series The O.C. has been a runaway hit, due in no small part to its hip writing, fetching cast, and edgy music. The latter component gets fuller exploration on this thoughtfully compiled soundtrack, which takes on the brainy, brooding tone of the smart-aleck geek character Seth (Adam Brody), who's been on both sides of a broken heart during the show's run. Most of the tunes provide the perfect backdrop to an afternoon of pining in a lonely, sun-drenched bedroom, whether it's the dreamy Brit-rock of South's Oasis-like "Paint the Silence" and Doves' swooning "Caught by the River" or the strummy, Nick Drake–inspired melancholy of Joseph Arthur's "Honey and the Moon" and Alexi Murdoch's "Orange Sky." Even Fosters-fueled Aussie rockers Jet relax into acoustic-ballad mode with "Move On," suggesting the Wallflowers. Mellow electronic beats figure into Jem's "Just a Ride," which recalls the postmodern folk of Beth Orton, who turns up on Finley Quaye & William Orbit's eerie "Dice." If you want to pogo, you'll have to cue up Spoon's peppy "The Way We Get By," a piano-fueled romp with touches of angry-young-man-era Elvis Costello, or Phantom Planet's irresistible theme song, "California," which is more suited to top-down driving, thanks to its beefy, power chord–driven chorus. As an added bonus for O.C. acolytes, the disc's special enhancements include CD-only web access, where fans can view the scenes in which many of the tracks were used. Lydia Vanderloo

All Music Guide

Graced with a gorgeous cast of actors and only the most decadent of storylines tailored to upscale rich kids in southern California, The O.C. became an overnight television hit for Fox in summer 2003. Not only was it the hippest television show among teens, but the 18-34 demographic also applauded the prime-time drama. Music from The O.C.: Mix 1 sets the show's cool backdrop while also highlighting a select group of artists well suited for The O.C.'s viewing audience. Select tracks from the likes of Jet, the Dandy Warhols, Turin Brakes, and South will fare well with the new-millennium MTV generation. Phantom Planet provides the theme song with its sun-kissed, harmony-drenched "California," and that alone should be enough for those O.C. enthusiasts who cannot get enough of the nighttime soap opera. More stylish indie rock cuts from Jem, Doves, singer/songwriter Alexi Murdoch, and Spoon, as well as bonus clips from the show, round out this fashionable soundtrack. MacKenzie Wilson