Some Music Videos

The Bats, "North by North"
I found this band by accident last year when I downloaded a mix of music from the Deerhunter blog. The Bats' "Block of Wood" was followed by a great live recording of the B-52's playing "Private Idaho."

Sebadoh, "Brand New Love"
The song I was looking for was "Magnet's Coil," but as far as I can tell, no video was ever made for it, and there are no live recordings of it on YouTube. Just the same, I love this song, in particular the manic-depressive turns and how the hope in the chorus is undercut by the burning loneliness of the verses.

Pulp, "Disco 2000"
Jarvis Cocker likes to play tricks. The one he plays over and over again in Pulp songs works like this: he gets you to sympathize the character in the song, and then he takes the song somewhere that makes your skin crawl.

Passion Pit, "Sleepyhead"
When I listen to this song, I feel like I'm being drowned in liquid sugar. Beyond that, I can't describe why I like it, and really I don't want to. There are several live videos worth checking out on YouTube because they show the band with a real audience and you can see the energy in the room.

New Order, "Ceremony"
Still one of my all-time favorite songs.