So why is the Scott Pilgrim vs. The World soundtrack on this best 1,000 albums ever thing?
Sex Bob-omb, a fictional band within a fictional movie, is so kick-ass in my view that if I could place myself into any band across time (real or fake) this might just be the one.
Let’s take a step back though.
If you’ve never heard of Sex Bob-omb and are maybe vaguely familiar with the 2010 Edgar Wright directed movie that’s based on the famous graphic novels by Bryan Lee O’Malley, you will rightfully look askance at the film soundtrack being placed in this elite slot (#35) on the best 1,000 albums ever project.
As great as the movie is, throw it out the window and the soundtrack still stands strong. We’ll start with the Sex Bob-omb tracks, but keep in mind that the soundtrack as a whole contains plenty of other treasures besides.
Okay, Sex Bob-omb’s music is the brainchild of Beck, one of my favorite musicians of all time. And not only is it music dreamed up by Beck, but it’s Beck channeling his early folk-grunge era with a sly, ironic indie smirk at play in every note.
What’s further remarkable is that the actors who comprise Sex Bob-omb in the movie – Mark Webber as Stephen Stills on lead vocals, with Michael Cera (Scott Pilgrim) and Alison Pill (Kim Pine) also contributing – sing over Beck’s instrumentation and it all works out smashingly.
It’s music produced in a lab for yours truly, so when Knives Chau (Ellen Wong) sits there, gape-mouthed, when she hears Sex Bob-omb perform “We Are Sex Bob-Omb,” I’m right there with her.
It’s brilliant, loose and rollicking and energetic as all [REDACTED].
What are the lyrics, and what do they mean? Who cares.
WE ARE SEX BOB-OMB.
It’s rock ‘n roll, and pure ecstatic joy at that.
There are six total Sex Bob-omb tracks on the Scott Pilgrim soundtrack (expanded edition), and they’re all incredible, bursting with analog warmth that touches some core of nostalgia within me every time I listen.
Of these, my favorite is “Garbage Truck,” which would slot in delightfully on early Beck albums I’m obsessed with like One Foot In The Grave or Stereopathetic Soulmanure (#98 of best 1,000 albums ever).
The guitar tone is fuzzed up perfection meets lo-fi indie, the lyrics ridiculous yet somehow oddball profound.
We also get Beck-fronted versions of the Sex Bob-omb tracks on the expanded edition, which of course are all glorious. Here’s “Summertime.”
The movie is immersed in music, but also in graphic novels and old school gamer culture that gives it a feel and aesthetic unlike anything else I’ve ever seen – it’s one of the reasons why it’s endlessly rewatchable. Therefore, it’s brilliant that the Sex Bob-omb/Beck song “Threshold” is translated into an 8-Bit version, which unbelievably works as its own super cool thing.
We also get a taste of another fictional band from the movie, Crash and the Boys (performed ably by Broken Social Scene), on the soundtrack. Here’s the literal two-word classic known as “I’m So Sad, So Very, Very Sad.”
I felt compelled to include that one if only because, “It’s not a race, guys!” – as Kieran Culkin’s Wallace Wells yells at the stage – is still very much in rotation between my wife and me. Also: I’ll take any excuse to squeeze some Kieran Culkin love into anything I write.
Scott Pilgrim the movie and the soundtrack introduced me to two bands that would go on to be featured in this here best 1,000 albums project. Chief among them is Plumtree, who wrote the delightful and sublime song with the perfect sprinkling of grit, “Scott Pilgrim,” based on their love for the graphic novels.
Metric’s “Black Sheep” is performed by yet another fictional band within the movie – The Clash at Demonhead, perhaps the greatest name for any band, real or fake, of all time – and it’s the perfect injection of feminine energy into the proceedings. It’s sleek and powerful, and Emily Haines’ vocals are just wonderful.
That being said, Brie Larson’s performance as Envy Adams (yet another amazing name) in the movie is really great too.
I covered Frank Black’s solo debut album (#38) recently, and noted:
“I Heard Ramona Sing” is a delightful and spectacular romantic rock song, deployed with exquisite precision in the brilliant Scott Pilgrim vs. the World just as the titular Scott meets the object of his desires: Ramona Flowers.
And indeed, the first time I saw the movie, it’s the exact moment when “I Heard Ramona Sing” plays that I fully fell in love with it. There’s nothing better when the right song is deployed at the right time in the right movie: Dick Dale & The Del Tones’ “Misirlou” in Pulp Fiction being another classic example.
Speaking of Ramona, Scott Pilgrim writes a song of the same name for his new girlfriend, and gets a hilarious reaction when he unveils it for her for the first time. Beck again is the power behind the throne here, and we get a few versions of it on the extended soundtrack. Of these, I’m partial to the short acoustic version.
I’ll close with a few more thoughts on Scott Pilgrim vs. The World. I hope it’s clear that based on the music alone I adore it. Overall, I find the first half of it to be one of my favorite halves of a movie I’ve ever seen. It’s untouchable, perfect.
Then, as the action ramps up – Scott’s gotta go to war with Ramona’s army of exes, it’s a whole thing – the second half is just pretty good.
Overall, I still have great love and affection for it.
Some stats & info about the Scott Pilgrim vs. The World soundtrack
- What kind of musical stylings does this album represent? Film Soundtracks, Rock Music, Indie Rock, Alternative Rock, Hard Rock, Compilations
- Rolling Stone’s greatest 500 albums ranking – not ranked!
- All Music’s rating – 4 out of 5 stars
- When was the Scott Pilgrim vs. The World soundtrack released? 2010
- My ranking, the one you’re reading right now – #35 out of 1,000
The Scott Pilgrim vs. The World soundtrack on Spotify
A lyrical snippet from the Scott Pilgrim vs. The World soundtrack that’s evocative of the album in some way, maybe
We are Sex Bob-omb.
What does the “best 1,000 albums ever” mean and why are you doing this?
Yeah, I know it’s audacious, a little crazy (okay, maybe a lot cray cray), bordering on criminal nerdery.
But here’s what it’s NOT: a definitive list of the Greatest Albums of All-Time. This is 100% my own personal super biased, incredibly subjective review of what my top 1,000 albums are, ranked in painstaking order over the course of doing research for nearly a year, Rob from High Fidelity style. Find out more about why I embarked on a best 1,000 albums ever project.