Bombadil has released their first music video ever for “So Many Ways to Die” from Tarpits and Canyonlands. Bryan Rahija writes, “it’s all the ways to live and die in 4:52, including an octopus attack, a bull fight, and a william tell re-enactment.” In a word, epic. If morbidly so.
1o. Neon Indian “Deadbeat Summer”
2009 is likely to be remembered for the glo-fi/cassette/chillwave explosion (think Best Coast, Memory Tapes, Washed Out…), and no one track epitomized the genre quite like “Deadbeat Summer.” Over a wave of psychedelic synths and fuzzed-out guitars, Palomo’s reverbed vocal is the perfect ode to the dog days of August.
09. Animal Collective “My Girls”
The first single from the stunning Merriweather Post Pavilion, “My Girls” flawlessly adds and peels back layers of doubled vocals and shimmering synths for about ninety seconds. Then the drum machine drops, and the result is the kind of pure, psych-pop bliss that only Animal Collective can deliver.
08. Girls “Lust for Life”
From perhaps the most interesting new band of 2009 comes one of its most vivacious, viscerally enjoyable singles. “Lust for Life” isn’t optimistic in the traditional sense, but frontman Christopher Owens manages to convey a sense of infectious happiness through his pervasive longing. And while the Joe Strummer-meets-Beach Boys aesthetic may be a bit inaccessible, there’s something universal about finding this kind of pleasure in absence.
07. Big Boi ft. Gucci Mane “Shine Blockas”
“Shine Blockas” has everything going for it: a pitch-perfect Harold Melvin sample, rap’s newest mixtape maestro spitting a verse of straight fire and, of course, Big Boi himself. He’s in typical form here, killing haters with a measured, deliberate flow and leaving us wondering just exactly when the long-overdue Sir Luscious Left Foot will drop.
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10. The Lonely Island “Jizz in My Pants”
Unlike their contemporaries in comedy pop, Flight of the Conchords, The Lonely Island ups the ante from simple acoustic tracks to songs that are actually produced. Here, the results are fantastic, as the music’s Eurotrash pastiche adds to the humor, which comes in unlikely places (Justin Timberlake in aisle seven, the “horror film,” etc.) For “Jizz in My Pants,” I can almost forgive The Lonely Island for having to hear “I’m on a Boat” blasting out of every frat section on campus.
09. Jay-Z featuring Alicia Keys “Empire State of Mind”
Hometown pride is one of the few themes on The Blueprint 3 that isn’t annoyingly overplayed—everyone loves New York. And evidenced by the familiar keys leaking out of every storefront and taxi that drives by, New York loves this song too. Reciprocity is a beautiful thing. Note to rappers: pick Alicia Keys for the requisite guest spot instead of Weezy.
08. Best Coast “Sun Was High (So Was I)”
And repping the West Best Coast…it’s not lo-fi, it’s 60’s AM pop, in a concise, sunny and perfect two and a half minutes. The content is simple: “The sun was high/And so was I.” Sounds like summer in a nutshell.
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recess film editor Charlie McSpadden recently spoke with Jason Reitman, the director of what many are calling the Oscar frontrunner Up in the Air, on a college conference call. Topics ranged from humanizing unlikeable white protagonists (a clergyman could be next!), J.K. Simmons being a muse and the strange truth that Reitman’s characters never seem to have sex in beds.
Read the full transcript of all the participants’ questions and Reitman’s responses after the jump. Oh, and if you’re wondering, Jason is an aisle kinda guy.
Call it irresponsible. Call it ill-informed. Call it biased. Call it whatever you like. It’s back. Recess presents its second annual round-up of the top tracks of the year, with a many staff members giving their input. Look for it on the blog starting Monday, Nov. 30. Like the 24-hour Christmas station on FM radio, mark it as another think to be thankful for during the holiday season.