Choosing the tracks for “The Hunger Games: Catching Fire” soundtrack must have been a challenge in itself. The album presents a mix of indie and mainstream, adding a rounded, energetic and emotional dimension to the film.

The twelve tributes, or fifteen if you get the Deluxe version, battle it out to discover who puts out the edgiest, most song in homage to the story. One can see a shift in tone from the first film’s T Bone Burnett-produced soundtrack from folky melancholy to a slicker, more eccentric offering supervised by Alexandra Patsavas.

A few traces from the original DNA remain with such tracks as the folky “Lean” by The National and the “Devil May Cry” by The Weeknd. The lead single “Atlas,” from British rockers Coldplay, brings a new edge to the movie. It’s a booming anthem about feeling the weight of the world on one’s shoulders. Christina Aguilera adds to the film’s pop cred with her powerful vocals on the catchy “We Remain.”

Many of the indie tracks moderate their voices in a different direction. Instead of reassuring, revolutionary tones they all go toward the eerie side. Teen superstar, Lorde does an underwater-sounding cover of Tears for Fears’ “Everybody Wants to Rule the World” that takes its original cheerful spirit and twists it into a gruesome warning. Australian Sia persuasively taps into the best of tribal pop on “Elastic Heart,” featuring The Weeknd and Diplo, while Ellie Goulding goes for a softer electro tune in “Mirror.”

Be sure to pick up the album and check it out yourself!