VA - Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist - Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (2008)

A semi-hip romantic comedy deserves a similarly semi-hip soundtrack, and the artists who pepper Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist are some of the trendiest names to grace a movie soundtrack in 2008. Established indie outfits like Band of Horses and We Are Scientists join such relative newcomers as Bishop Allen, Vampire Weekend, and Army Navy. Many of these tracks have appeared elsewhere, with Vampire Weekend's "Ottoman" standing out as one of the few unreleased songs included. Still, there's a high percentage of New York City bands on this track list, which correlates nicely with the movie's New York-centric plot line. Along with the similarly minded American Teen soundtrack, Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist serves as a nice sampler of emerging music in 2008.~Review by Andrew Leahey