Scott Pilgrim’s Top 5 Musical Moments to Celebrate the Film’s Extended Soundtrack

The tenth-anniversary celebration of Scott Pilgrim vs. the World continues apace, as director Edgar Wright announced that an extended version of the film’s soundtrack will be released on streaming services on July 9. The extended soundtrack will include 12 all-new tracks, including several acoustic demos by Beck, who wrote the songs for Scott’s band Sex Bob-Omb.

In anticipation of the release, Wright has posted Metric’s “Black Sheep” with vocals by Brie Larson. Larson played Envy Adams, the lead singer of The Clash at Demonhead, and is one of many actors from the film that went on to superhero stardom.

The extended soundtrack release is especially exciting, as the music of Scott Pilgrim has inspired its own diehard audience, with many considering it one of the best film soundtracks of all time. In addition to Beck’s catchy songs, the soundtrack features bands like the Black Lips, Broken Social Scene, Metric, T. Rex, and more.

To celebrate the release of the extended soundtrack, we’re counting down the top 5 musical moments of Scott Pilgrim vs. the World.

5. “Threshold”, Sex Bob-Omb vs. the Katayanagi Twins

“We are Sex Bob-Omb and we’re here to make you think about death and get sad and stuff!” shouts Scott Pilgrim (Michael Cera) as his band takes on the towering techno twin powers of the Ken and Kyle Katayanagi. In the most intense Battle of the Bands sequence, the scrappy garage rock of Sex Bob-Omb becomes a King Kong-style beast that takes on the King Ghidorah-inspired double dragons of the Katayanagi twins. The scene ends with Pilgrim “getting a life” with a 1-UP.

4. “I’m So Sad, So Very, Very, Sad/We Hate You Please Die”, Crash and the Boys

Edgar Wright and music producer Nigel Goodrich collaborated with real musicians to form the distinct sound for each fictional band in the film. For Crash and the Boys, they recruited Canadian indie rock band Broken Social Scene, with Crash (Erik Knudsen) recording the lead vocals. There’s so much humor packed into this scene: Wallace (Kieran Culkin) heckling Crash while flirting with Stacey Pilgrim’s (Anna Kendrick) boyfriend, Stephen Still’s (Mark Webber) subtitled meltdown, TWO girl drummers. What a delight.

3. “Garbage Truck”, Sex Bob-Omb

This song marks the first performance for Sex Bob-Omb in the Battle of the Bands, and it offers a perfect example of their fuzzy, distorted garage rock sound. And like every musical number in the film, the breezy performance belies the drama lurking underneath, namely the meeting of Ramona (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) and Knives Chau (Ellen Wong). Also, like so many songs from the soundtrack, this song slaps.

2. “We Are Sex Bob-Omb” by Sex Bob-Omb

This opening number, played over the credits, establishes the tone of the band and the film. It’s a joke-heavy adrenaline rush that perfectly encapsulates the film’s grunge-punk aesthetic, while also displaying the band’s interpersonal dynamics. “She’ll geek. She geeks. She has the capacity to geek,” is still one of my favorite lines.

1. “Black Sheep” by The Clash at Demonhead

This is a show-stopping number in a film filled to the brim with show-stopping numbers. Brie Larson, who would go on to win an Oscar and play Captain Marvel, has star quality to spare as lead singer and Scott’s ex Envy Adams. The song is from Toronto synth-pop band Metric, and Scott Pilgrim creator Bryan Lee O’Malley has previously said that the character’s look was inspired by lead singer Emily Haines. We also get Brandon Routh as evil ex Todd, who fights Scott with the powers of veganism. This song remains a breakout hit on the soundtrack, and fans can finally download the version featuring Larson’s vocals.

What’s your favorite musical moment from Scott Pilgrim vs. the World? Let us know in the comments!

(image: Universal Pictures)

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Chelsea Steiner

Chelsea was born and raised in New Orleans, which explains her affinity for cheesy grits and Britney Spears. An pop culture journalist since 2012, her work has appeared on Autostraddle, AfterEllen, and more. Her beats include queer popular culture, film, television, republican clownery, and the unwavering belief that 'The Long Kiss Goodnight' is the greatest movie ever made. She currently resides in sunny Los Angeles, with her husband, 2 sons, and one poorly behaved rescue dog. She is a former roller derby girl and a black belt in Judo, so she is not to be trifled with. She loves the word “Jewess” and wishes more people used it to describe her.

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