Here’s our year-end round-up of our “Running Videos of the Month” for 2011*. There’s something for everybody with alternative/indie songs, rock, R&B, and even rap/hip-hop and “world music”. Every song fulfills our mission of delivering running music with a faster bpm that is either inspirational, about running, or just fun with a great beat. Enjoy and happy holidays…
(*most of the songs below were released in 2011, but not all…we just featured them on Bold Pace Music this year)
10) I Hope This Gets to You (Viral Love Letter) – The Daylights (BPM=150) released as single: I Hope This Gets To You – Single (itunes)
This video was made by Walter C. May and his band, The Daylights, with the hope that it would reach May’s girlfriend virally thru various social networks. She got it (he’s setting the bar pretty high for us guys with this one).
9) Crossed Wires – Superchunk – (BPM=155) Album: Majesty Shredding (itunes)
The dogs usually seem to get all the video love, here’s one for the cats. A “cat cam”…what a concept. Bad Kitty!
8) Bottled in Cork – Ted Leo & The Pharmacists (BPM=145) Album: The Brutalist Bricks (itunes)
Ted Leo on Broadway? The world needed “a half-assed musical that cheapens what they do and embarrasses everyone involved,” especially when those involved include Paul F. Tompkins, Julie Klausner and John Hodgman.
7) Tightrope (feat. Big Boi) – Janelle Monae (BPM=169) Album: The ArchAndroid (itunes)
Janelle Monáe can dance a little, and that’s never been more evident than this wonderfully choreographed video.
6) Mind Shift – Genki Sudo (BPM=130) Album: World Order (itunes)
This is more like a brain explosion! While on the slower side for running music, it has a good beat and would work well as a warm up for a workout. The video is the true mind shift. Enjoy the incredible moves by this former professional full-contact boxer who wrote, sang, and did the choreography for this song and video. As you might guess, he was a pretty entertaining fighter as well. If interested in his fighting skills, here’s a You Tube video of the “Best of Genki Sudo”
5) Not Enough – J Mascis (BPM=161) Album: Several Shades of Why (itunes)
J Mascis is better known as the frontman for Dinosaur Jr. And while Dinosaur Jr. have always been critically acclaimed and pioneers in progressive/alternative rock, they are better known for their distorted guitars and brain-crushing volume. This new solo effort is more acoustic, restrained, yet still thoughtful. I love the video for this song as it takes basic artwork I could see my kids drawing (J Mascis had a son in 2007) and turns it into a creative musical exploration. Want to foster your child’s creativity? Have them watch this…then download to your ipod and enjoy it on your next run :)
4) Lonely Boy – The Black Keys (BPM=165) Album: El Camino (itunes)
The Black Keys used to be only known to college radio DJs and record store clerks, but after their previous release “Brothers” and now this one, they are entering the mainstream. Combining their well-crafted music with a simple, amusing, and an instantly classic video like this one must be working. If you are looking for a last minute x-mas present for a runner who is into music, you can’t go wrong with this one. The music is not so “alternative” that it will turn off anyone that enjoys pop music. And I would bet an album like this would turn an open-minded listener into someone who looks beyond pop for good music…now that’s a true gift. In addition to Lonely Boy, enjoy running songs like Dead & Gone (bpm = 143), Run Right Back (bpm=160), and Hell of a Season (bpm=153). With four great running songs in one album (and the rest of the songs are not filler), this might keep you running even on a cold winter day…
3) We Used to Wait “The Wilderness Downtown” – Arcade Fire (BPM=122) Album: The Suburbs (itunes)
The song is stellar, but it’s the multimedia “event” that is truly groundbreaking and lives up to the hype. The Chris Milk designed site uses HTML5 technology and shows a hooded runner running through a neighborhood…not just any neighborhood, it’s yours. You are asked for an address at the beginning, and Google Maps and Street View do the rest.
Here’s what you need to do to see the magic:
1) Download Google’s Chrome browser. (It’s worth it…Chrome works well and if you have a website, it’s nice to check how it displays in another browser)
2) Go to The Wilderness Downtown to view.
3) It’s interactive, but don’t click or touch until it asks you…just enjoy.
The YouTube video below really doesn’t do it justice, but if you’re crunched for time, you’ll get the idea…
Added bonus: Indie Music Filter has Arcade Fire’s “Sprawl II (Mountains Beyond Mountains)” — it’s a clever, interactive video where you use your webcam to become a part of the fun (unfortunately, at 101 bpm it can’t really be “running music”)
2) Make Some Noise – Beastie Boys (BPM=180) Album: Hot Sauce Committee Part Two (itunes)
I’m not a big rap/hip-hop fan, but I do have a soft spot for the Beastie Boys. Perhaps it’s because they do things like this video. It’s worth a watch only to see Elijah Wood rapping while walking with his face in the camera. Add in Danny McBride and Seth Rogan along with cameos from Rashida Jones, Will Arnett, Ted Danson, Steve Buscemi, Will Ferrell, Zach Galifianakis, Kirsten Dunst (and tons more)…and it’s a must see! It’s a nostalgic sequel to “(You Gotta) Fight for Your Right (To Party!)” and there’s even a 15-minute dance battle in the extended version between the actual Beastie Boys and their film star impersonators.
1) Djanfa – Amadou & Mariam (BPM=158) Album: Dimanche à Bamako (itunes)
Amadou & Mariam are a blind couple from Mali that deliver a combination of soulful, playful, and bluesy “world music”. Here’s a review from Midomi (which btw is a GREAT site for finding names of songs…without a iphone app): “Even if you don’t understand the words, the entire disc is an aural joy, poppy enough to be exquisitely memorable, yet with layers of resonance underneath.” However, it’s the video that is the true stand-out with an ode to Bob Dylan’s “Subterranean Homesick Blues” (which is also great running music at 167 bpm), but with “Last Minute Marathon Tips”. You can find most of these tips (well, perhaps not the Naomi Campbell one) along with a check list on our previous post “Top 40 Tips for Women Over 40 runners” (most tips are actually for runners of any age or sex).
Honorable Mention: Here it Goes Again – OK Go (BPM=144) Album: Oh No (itunes)
This one is more for the video than the song…but that’s what OK Go seems to do best. A perfect way to motivate yourself during the winter when the treadmill becomes your best friend.
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Great set of songs. One of the best songs to get runners focused…The motions by Matthew West….
Thanks for the set of songs! Nate
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