Music from the O.C.: Mix 2

1	Saturday Morning / Eels 2:53
2	Hello Sunshine / Super Furry Animals 2:49
3	Smile Like You Mean It / The Killers 3:55
4	A Lack of Color / Death Cab for Cutie 3:36
5	Specialist / Interpol 6:39
6	Something Pretty / Patrick Park 3:12
7	You Got Me All Wrong / Dios Malos 3:11
8	If You Leave / Nada Surf 4:51
9	Big Sur / The Thrills 3:07
10	Little House of Savages / The Walkmen Live 3:08
11	Trouble Sleeping / The Perishers 4:43
12	So Sweet / Johnathan Rice 3:48
13	Popular Mechanics for Lovers / Beulah 3:02
14	Walnut Tree / Keane 3:37
15	Maybe I'm Amazed / Jem 4:44
16	Eastern Glow / The Album Leaf 8:19

Barnes & Noble

Like college radio in decades gone by, hipster TV shows are fast becoming an outlet for underground bands. Foremost among these with-it series is Fox's fetching The O.C., which in its first season spawned its first soundtrack, jam-packed with alt-rock hits from Phantom Planet (the title theme), Jet, and Doves. The show's second audio companion offers a broad spectrum of contemporary left-of-the-dial artists, from the spooked folk of Jonathan Rice's "So Sweet" to the Killers' irresistible "Smile Like You Mean It," which suggests '80s college radio faves like the Cure or the Chameleons; from Death Cab for Cutie's touching acoustic ballad "A Lack of Color" to Interpol's "Specialist," which updates Joy Division's gloom with a post-millennial punch. A handful of newcomers also make a vibrant impression, including Patrick Park (the twang-laced "Something Pretty") and Dios Malos (the subdued, Neil Young–esque "You Got Me All Wrong"). Other tracks will be hard for O.C. acolytes to separate from the scenes in which they appeared, such as the Super Furry Animals' effusive "Hello Sunshine," redolent of CSNY harmonies (geeky Seth and popular Summer's first under-the-sheets experience) or Nada Surf's rockist cover of O.M.D.'s emotive ballad "If You Leave" (Seth and ex-girlfriend Anna's parting scene at the airport). The same is true for Jem's sincere but cloying cover of the Wings hit "Maybe I'm Amazed," which mirrors the car-crash appeal of the marriage between the money-obsessed Julie and the power-hungry Caleb. But like The O.C. at its most cringe-worthy, you won't be able to turn this disc off. Lydia Vanderloo

All Music Guide

More proof that The O.C. wants to wrest the title of "musically hippest TV series" away from The Gilmore Girls comes from The O.C. Mix 2. Granted, Seth, Summer, Ryan, and Marissa's taste in music still isn't nearly as broad or deep as Lorelei, Rory, and Lane's, but Mix 2 is a bigger and better affair than The O.C. Mix 1; at a respectable 16 tracks long, this volume of the soundtrack reflects The O.C.'s increasing focus on music in its second season. This includes the kids getting their own version of Beverly Hills 90210's club the Peach Pit: The Bait Shop, as it's known, features performances from bands like the Killers and the Walkmen, whose "Smile Like You Mean It" and "Little House of Savages," respectively, are two of the album's highlights. Along with the beautifully brooding post-post-punk angst of Interpol's "Specialist," these tracks show a willingness to go beyond the easygoing, slightly wistful alt-pop that dominates The O.C.'s musical aesthetics. But even within this sound, The O.C. Mix 2 stretches the boundaries a bit by mixing tracks like Dios Malos' "You Got Me All Wrong," Super Furry Animals' "Hello Sunshine," and Beulah's "Popular Mechanics for Lovers" in with more expected songs such as Eels' "Saturday Morning" and Death Cab for Cutie's "A Lack of Color." While the majority of the soundtrack is within the confines of the show's trademark sound, most of the songs are decent examples of the styles they represent: Patrick Park's "Something Pretty" and Johnathan Rice's "So Sweet" are pleasant enough singer/songwriter fare for the preteen set, and Keane's "Walnut Tree" shows why so many Coldplay fans also like this band. The soundtrack's only true missteps are its covers: Nada Surf's drippy rendition of OMD's "If You Leave" and Jem's "Maybe I'm Amazed" aren't nearly as fresh or distinctive as some of these artists' other work, to say nothing of the original versions of these songs. Nevertheless, The O.C. Mix 2 does more things right than it does wrong; with any luck, as the show's popularity and audience grows, its musical adventurousness will do the same. Heather Phares