What can I say?

Thanks for a great year, everyone! See you in 2010 …

Okay, I’m cheating, and hardcore FFO-heads will probably sue my ass, but this is my party so I’ll do what I want … gotta give this week’s FFO 2nd Place Medal to my favorite music video of the year:

This video is like the elixir of eternal life for me.

Friday Face-Offs!!! WINNING VIDEO IS NEXT!!!

This song really starts rocking at 0:23. I can’t decide what I think of the vocalist’s style, but I looove the beat. Sometime around 3:00, the tambourine player basically goes into Keith Moon mode with those insane triplets.

Video’s not bad, either …

Friday Face-Offs! Two more videos if it kills me!

LOL, is this guy feeling it very hard? LET’S DO THIS.

In the comments to this video, haters are saying this guy looks like Stephen Hawking when he sings. Then another commenter says this: “Awesome cover. Btw, screw everyone else, I love the head bob. Real emotion is music is what it’s all about.”

Is there anything more invigorating than a youtube commenter telling a video’s poster to ignore the haters? ANSWER: NO.

I also like the very, very end of this video, because he puts down his guitar and then for a split second it looks like he’s debating whether to smash it against the wall.

Friday Face-Offs! “Real emotion is music is what it’s all about.”

If I was in high school, no doubt the Mountain Goats would be my favorite band. Are you kidding? All that heart-on-shirtsleeve over-emoting, all the lyrics about drinking Scotch and playing video games? In the words of one of the decade’s greatest catchphrases, “Fuhgeddaboutit.”

Stop-motion animation? Check. Multi-track vocal harmonies? Check. Extended shots of high school building? Check. This video couldn’t be more awesomely high school if it came with a diploma.

This is the most depressing video of all time– since when did they start using CGI on Dr. Who??? If it ain’t a monster made out of rubber and duct tape, or a space ship made out of old BBC shipping containers and sparkle paint, it has no business being on Dr. Who.

Anyway, life is all about accepting change and living with disappointment and growing and whatnot, so I guess I need to make peace with the fact that Tom Baker isn’t Dr. Who anymore if it kills me.

Friday Face-Offs!!! Ex-term-in-ate … Ex-term-in-ate …

Okay, basically this dude is the ultimate bad-ass. He keeps pushing through this song (which is supposed to be completely emotionally shattering) in spite of everybody ignoring him and talking and chattering every which way and thereby passively stripping the song of much of its power. I used to perform acoustic-guitar songs at open mics*, and if this guy is anything like me, he’s probably distracted from his performance by thoughts like: “What am I doing, why is everyone ignoring me, why am I such a failure, why does everyone hate me, I wish I was dead.”

True, he bails eventually, but he gave it the ol’ college try, so he earns a 7th Place Friday Face-Offs medal!

By the way, do you think the camera man was pretty happy at (0:16)? What is she picking up, census forms? LOL, “the government wants to know how many people live at this coffeehouse.”

(*Don’t hate the playa, hate the game)

“I am gonna make it through this year if it kills me.” Basically 2009 was so insane, it has led me to post Friday Face-Offs on a Thursday! I really should call this “Thursday Face-Offs,” except that New Year’s Eve is kinda like an honorary Friday.

Anyway, let’s get things poppin’ with our first contestant! Check out the banging harmonies and adorable cockney(?) accents exhibited hereunder:

NICE! They totally shred the line about feasting and dancing in Jerusalem (2:44). By the way, where is this concert taking place? In an operating room in the fanciest, most exclusive Beverly Hills hospital? Because if that’s true, somebody needs to maybe clean that operating room a little before the next surgery.

FRIDAY FACE-OFFS! I am gonna make it to the next video if it kills me!