We could listen to the "Heroes" soundtrack, just for one day

As “Heroes” disappeared quickly after the writers strike began and will remain off the air until next fall, it would seem an odd time to release a soundtrack album for the show; nonetheless, that’s what NBC has done.

Soundtracks, of course, are A) souvenirs for ardent fans of the movie of TV series in question; B) good compilations of well-selected music capable of luring casual fans; or C) Both of the above. (Well, there’s D) pointless, too, but we’re trying to be charitable here.) “Heroes” falls into the C) category, with a smart if not terribly surprising selection of evergreen and currently cool artists.

Death Cab for Cutie, My Morning Jacket, Panic at the Disco, the New Pornographers and Imogen Heap are among those in the latter group; some of their contributions are new tracks (and a couple of those sound like maybe they’re stuff that may not have made the cut on their actual albums). Those in the former category include Bob Dylan, Wilco, Iggy Pop, David Bowie (inevitably, “Heroes”) and the Jesus & Mary Chain (contributing their first new song in a decade, “All Things Must Pass” – not the George Harrison number).

Fans of the show will also be jazzed by some of Tim Sales’ comic-book illustrations from the series, and portraits of the musicians in a style aping Sales’ work.

Today, soundtracks can sort of serve as the gateway drug for longtime music fans conditioned to buying albums, easing them into the notion of shuffling tunes on iPods rather than listening to recordings straight through. The “Heroes” soundtrack is a decent iPod shuffle; unfortunately for it, with “Heroes” on a prolonged hiatus, there’s no immediate impetus for picking it up, unless you’re a really rabid fan in need of a fix.