Tuesday, October 23, 2012
Our Ideal Brooklyn Nets Game-Time Playlist
Posted by Lauren Beck on Tue, Oct 23, 2012 at 3:24 AM
We followed his lead, piecing together a slate of could-be arena anthems suited for heavy rotation at Barclays to replace the stale Jock Jams holding court in other athletic venues across America. (You're in good hands. I was a cheerleader in the seventh grade.) Let's do this:
Who are we to mess with Jay-Z's wishes? Especially when Bed-Stuy's glitteriest star and the borough's esteemed drama queen forged an utmost rousing militant march and serendipitously titled it "GO!"—overeager capitalization and exclamation mark already included.
Brooklyn's beloved art-rock stars TV on the Radio flexed their biggest muscles on this 2006 indie hit. It's equally threatening and anthemic, at once able to strike fear in the hearts of opponents and stir excitement in those of the home crowd. But mostly, it would sound so awesome pumped out of a huge sound system at full volume.
No-brainer. (And pre-approved by one Shawn Carter.)
Plucked from widespread hipster consciousness after the success of Drive, here the tweaky, circular beat and gossamer overlay of "A Real Hero" is made to soundtrack slow-motion high-fives. Cue it up while going to a commercial break after Kris Humphries shoots a dramatic three pointer to take the lead. The crowd will be on their feet, hearts gushing for their new hero. Kim will be sitting at home watching on a 90-inch flat screen, reconsidering her life.
While including a standout from the Drive soundtrack works towards the team's managerial desire for hipness, the relentlessly catchy "New York Groove" carries a cross-generational appeal. You could also say it speaks to the team's welcomed arrival to the city. (To drive home the point, we opted for the version by Bronx-born Ace Frehley rather than the 1975 original by British glam rockers Hello.) Granted, to avoid confusion, it would probably be best to remove the track from rotation when playing the Knicks. Otherwise, stomp along in celebration that the Nets are out of the Jerz.
We hereby declare "boof boof" the official motto of the Brooklyn Nets. It can mean whatever you want it to.
Scrape away the blown-out fuzz and metallic spray; ignore the earth-shaking vibrations and Alexis Krauss' aggro sneer on her and fellow Brooklynite Derek Miller's early career single, and you're essentially left with a synthetic stomp-and-handclap cheerleading routine. It's bubblegum metal, stadium-ready.
Ah, a nostalgic throwback with just a hint of irony. So Brooklyn! Also, this basketball? U can't touch it.
Over a thumping, swing-from-the-rafters pulse, veteran DIYers Japanther tell the tale of a scrappy underdog community (Brooklyn) pulling themselves up by their bootstraps and turning triumphant. It works here on more than one level. If the track's opening monologue proves too confusing, The Men's "Open Your Heart" or Blur's "Song 2" could be swapped in for parallel no-holds-barred energy rushes.
Our dream is to orchestrate a four-part, in-the-round arena chant: "Brooklyn," "we," "go," "hard." How do we go about doing that?
Nevermind. We'll just ask Jay-Z.
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