Accompanying the release of Bryan Singer's quarter-billion-dollar summer epic Superman Returns is a compilation album put out by Rhino Records entitled, aptly enough, Sound of Superman. More of a themed record than a soundtrack (also available), the disc piles together fourteen tracks of Man of Steel-related rock, mostly performed by today's batch of MTV bands like The Academy Is ..., The Sun, Motion City Soundtrack, American Hi-Fi, and The Spill Canvas. Covers make up nearly half the album, from the likes of Ray Davies, Donovan, the Foo Fighters, XTC's Andy Partridge, the songwriters behind 60s band the Clique, and the Flaming Lips. All either contain themes of "strength, justice, heroics, and ... flying"* and/or outright feature the the Man of Tomorrow in the song title ("Superman," "(Wish I Could Fly Like) Superman," "Sunshine Superman," "Waitin' For a Superman," and "Superman").

The punchy dance-rock take on Ray Davies' "(Wish I Could Fly Like) Superman" performed by The Sun is ideal for the treadmill, while reinterpreted songs like The Academy Is' take on "Superman" (made famous by REM) and Royal's sample of the Partridge-penned "Braniac's Daughter" are simply fun to listen to. All in all, Sound of Superman provides a small dose of the saccharine entertainment that Superman Returns was so adept at delivering.

We're giving away both of our copies of the album. Enter below!

[Sound of Superman on Amazon.com]

* Director Bryan Singer's words, from the album sleeve