Exclusive: Listen To Sun Araw’s Neil Young Cover ‘Thrasher’ From Sundance Film ‘The Woods’

Soundtrack Features Songs From Dirty Projectors, Indian Jewelery, Ananda Shankar & More

Sundance kicks off next week and one of the many films vying for attention in theaters of Park City will be Matthew Lessner‘s debut feature “The Woods.” For the indie minded folk out there, you might have Lessner’s work if you managed to catch a look at this 2005 short film “Darling Darling” with Michael Cera or one of the handful of music videos he’s directed for the likes of The Raveonettes, Dirty Projectors and Le Loup. At any rate, even if you haven’t, Lessner’s film will be arriving at the Sundance Film Festival with a story no one else will be able to claim – it’s the first film to play the festival with partial funding provided through the micro-funding site Kickstarter.com.

For the soundtrack to his forthcoming film, Lessner hit his Rolodex and called in some help amount in twenty plus tracks featuring the critically acclaimed Dirty Projectors, avant act Indian Jewelry, Bengali musician and cult fave Ananda Shankar and psych artist Sun Araw. The latter provides one of the most unlikely covers of Neil Young‘s “Thrasher” you’re ever likely to hear. Imagine if Animal Collective circa three or four albums ago took a stab at the song and then chopped and looped it to bits, then you might be getting close. If you haven’t heard of Sun Araw before, he’s been a longterm fixture in the experimental music scene, toured with Christian Fennesz and Konono No. 1 and earned praise form The New Yorker, The Wire, Uncut and more. Listen and/or download the song below and you’ll also find a synopsis of the film and a complete list of songs in the picture.

Thrasher (Neil Young cover)-Sun Araw by The Playlist

We were promised change, but it never came. Our cities crumbled around us. Our streets ran red with Hawaiian Punch. Our country was no longer our own. Under Daniel’s guidance and leadership, we agreed to take action into our own hands. We preset our DVRs and ventured out of the city limits united. In the woods, we will be safe. In the woods, we will start anew.
This satirical attack on young, modern, globally conscious citizens tells the story of eight grown-up American children creating utopian society as best they can. With gorgeous Super 16 footage and an eclectic soundtrack featuring Dirty Projectors, Sun Araw, and Lucky Dragons, filmmaker Matthew Lessner playfully subverts counterculture films of the seventies while questioning the shortcomings of his own complacent generation. In a world where new technologies merely distract us from reality, the greatest revolution can only begin by leaving everything behind.

Full List Of Songs Featured In “The Woods”

01 Island to lsland-Lydia Ainsworth
02 The River-Ananda Shankar
03 Hands off Approach-Lydia Ainsworth
04 Dancing Drums-Ananda Shankar
05 Time Division Multiplexing-Lucky Dragons
06 Robot Wars-Lydia Ainsworth
07 Lucas Returns-Lydia Ainsworth
08 Apprehension and Regret-Lucky Dragons
09 D.Henley’s Dream-Dirty Projectors
10 Perrros de Uspallata-Nick Kuepfer
11 Horse Steppin-Sun Araw
12 Calling My Own Name-Lucky Dragons
13 Harken Sawshine-Sun-Araw
14 Power Melody-Lucky-Dragons
15 Lost In The Moment-Lydia Ainsworth
16 Seventh Heaven-Indian Jewelry
17 Daniel Stalking-Lydia Ainsworth
18 Open Melody-Lucky Dragons
19 Earthquake-Lydia Ainsworth
20 21 Very 1-Lucky Dragons
21 End Credits-Lydia Ainsworth
22 Thrasher-Sun Araw

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