This year was a weird one for music videos, what with Miley trying her very best to offend as many people as possible, and Robin Thicke not quite understanding how to make his provocative lyrics feel any less misogynistic. Billboard has begun to count YouTube views in their chart calculations, and any decent song can hit number one if the video’s cool, viral or innovative (or provocative) enough to go viral. That said, there were droves of music videos that set expectations higher this year, more than can fit in any list. Here are 10 that exemplify the qualities that keep a video on our minds, from feel-good simplicity or cinematic value to good humor or interactive elements.
10. Alex Bleeker & The Freaks – "Step Right Up
Directed by: Richard Law
Alex Bleeker, who has certainly seen his share of big musical festivals with his other band Real Estate, captures the spirit of the campgrounds with this video for “Step Right Up.” Featuring Bleeker walking around the festival site with a strange hat and a natural cast of festival oddities mulling around in the background, it’s a simple, feel-good expression of the way people can still enjoy music in an organic,refreshingly un-processed way.
9. HAIM – “The Wire”
Produced by: Good Company
Given their take-over of the airwaves and the Internet, seeing the Haim sisters break a few hearts in their music video for “The Wire” is probably to be expected, but that doesn’t make their depiction any less fun. The sisters take turns coolly dumping their unsuspecting boyfriends, who take it pretty tough as the girls brush it off, singing “I know, I know, I know, I know that you’re gonna be okay anyway.” It turns the track into an anthem of post-break-up eye-rolls, and the sisters’ impatience for their exes’ emotional theatrics feels on-point for a generation of Katniss Everdeens. (Besides, GIRLS fans, can we all agree it’s kinda fun to watch Booth Jonathan get dumped for a change?)
8. Phoenix – “Trying to Be Cool”
Directed by: CANADA in conjunction with The Creator’s Project
If Phoenix’s idea of trying to be cool involves fog machines, animals in office chairs, firing off cannons and mirrors on the ceiling, maybe they’re onto something. None of the events in this seem to have absolutely anything to do with each other except maybe that they might make you feel like a badass, from owning a kid at chess to showing off ping pong skills to busting through a paper wall. Besides, nothing says “trying (too hard) to be cool” like picking out a pre-groomed mustache from a board of options.
7. Kanye West – “Bound 2”
Directed by Nick Knight
Yep, this video is cheesy. Yep, Kim Kardashian’s naked in it. Yep, “Bound 2” is the reason we were all subjected to “Bound 3*.” But despite all of this, in less than a month, the imagery in this video has already reached an iconic status, a reminder that even when Kanye West kind of sucks, he also kind of rules, and none of us can look away.
*It should be noted that “Bound 3” received several votes as well.
6. Django Django – “WOR”
Directed by: Jim Demuth
With the help of the folks over at Noisey, Django Django turned the video for their epic song “Wor” into a mini-documentary of sorts, focusing on the Well of Death riders in Allahabad, India. It’s exhilarating and exciting, but the most fascinating part of the video is the interview aspect, in which the riders explain away their profession. “There’s danger in everything, even in walking on the road.” It’s an interesting perspective that pairs well with the track.
5. Beach House – “Wishes”
Directed by: Eric Wareheim
Director Eric Wareheim, known as half of comedy duo Tim & Eric, certainly serves up some off imagery in the video, which appears to be some kind of exhibition for gymnasts and cheerleaders. The announcer is played by Ray Wise, who mouths the words with precision and and a totally deadpan facial expression, and the result is weirdly moving.
4. Jim James – “A New Life”
Directed by: Mimi Cave
The video for “A New Life” begins the way you might imagine the songwriting process did, with James and a single acoustic guitar. But as the beat and the additional instrumentals begin to kick in, the video continues to present fitting visuals not only for the sounds, but the lyrics: “Hey, open the door,” sings James as he quite literally opens a door into a desert scene, where he’s joined by fantastic characters and a gaggle of backup dancers that seem to embody exactly the type of theatric choreography I kind of want to jump up and perform every time I hear the song, too. Mostly, this video is strong because it maintains the kind of aesthetic you expect from the spiritual and soulful James while keeping the imagery fresh and entertaining.
3. Drake – “Started from the Bottom”
Directed by: Director X and Drake
This latest story-telling video from Drake is further proof that the Canadian artist is rap music videos’ Taylor Swift: Drake’s always playing a character, and this role as a convenience store clerk may be his most entertaining yet. The cast of googly-eyed coworkers taking turns making a pass at a customer is light-hearted and laughable, and for a song with a topic that could have easily taken to the rap-video-cliche of big cars and self-praise, the music video is fun and relatable.
2. Arcade Fire – “Afterlife”
Directed by: Emily Kai Bock
Well, Emily Kai Bock and the Creator’s Project have gifted the Internet with another dreamy, thought-provoking music video, this time playing on family dynamics, fantasy and (you guessed it) the afterlife for Arcade Fire’s Reflektor single. The storyline begins at the dinner table and as it continues to follow the children’s sleepless activity and the husband’s dreams, it seems that the family’s mother has passed away and that all of the family members, through figurative and literal wandering, are dealing with grief. Powerful imagery spanning poolside baptisms and flashing police lights along with a nightmarish scene in which the small child is trapped in a washing machine tug at the corners of your consciousness, providing just the type of dreamy state of consciousness the song and much of Arcade Fire’s catalog might inspire in a listener.
1. Bob Dylan – “Like a Rolling Stone” Interactive Video.
Created by Interlude
For this new visual to “Like A Rolling Stone,” Dylan creates an interactive experience that allows users to flip the channel between various pop culture icons singing the song in the context of their own television shows, spanning from infomercials to Real Housewives and the History Channel to Marc Maron, peppered of course with vintage footage of Dylan performing the classic himself. For a song that’s been the soundtrack to many big changes over the years since its release, pairing it with the visuals to showcase its continued relevancy (even in somewhat goofy, unexpected circumstances) makes it a resounding example for artists of any age: with the right message, a song can be meaningful to fans of all ages and tastes.
5. Beach House – “Wishes”
Directed by: Eric Wareheim
Director Eric Wareheim, known as half of comedy duo Tim & Eric, certainly serves up some off imagery in the video, which appears to be some kind of exhibition for gymnasts and cheerleaders. The announcer is played by Ray Wise, who mouths the words with precision and and a totally deadpan facial expression, and the result is weirdly moving.
4. Jim James – “A New Life”
Directed by: Mimi Cave
The video for “A New Life” begins the way you might imagine the songwriting process did, with James and a single acoustic guitar. But as the beat and the additional instrumentals begin to kick in, the video continues to present fitting visuals not only for the sounds, but the lyrics: “Hey, open the door,” sings James as he quite literally opens a door into a desert scene, where he’s joined by fantastic characters and a gaggle of backup dancers that seem to embody exactly the type of theatric choreography I kind of want to jump up and perform every time I hear the song, too. Mostly, this video is strong because it maintains the kind of aesthetic you expect from the spiritual and soulful James while keeping the imagery fresh and entertaining.
3. Drake – “Started from the Bottom”
Directed by: Director X and Drake
This latest story-telling video from Drake is further proof that the Canadian artist is rap music videos’ Taylor Swift: Drake’s always playing a character, and this role as a convenience store clerk may be his most entertaining yet. The cast of googly-eyed coworkers taking turns making a pass at a customer is light-hearted and laughable, and for a song with a topic that could have easily taken to the rap-video-cliche of big cars and self-praise, the music video is fun and relatable.
2. Arcade Fire – “Afterlife”
Directed by: Emily Kai Bock
Well, Emily Kai Bock and the Creator’s Project have gifted the Internet with another dreamy, thought-provoking music video, this time playing on family dynamics, fantasy and (you guessed it) the afterlife for Arcade Fire’s Reflektor single. The storyline begins at the dinner table and as it continues to follow the children’s sleepless activity and the husband’s dreams, it seems that the family’s mother has passed away and that all of the family members, through figurative and literal wandering, are dealing with grief. Powerful imagery spanning poolside baptisms and flashing police lights along with a nightmarish scene in which the small child is trapped in a washing machine tug at the corners of your consciousness, providing just the type of dreamy state of consciousness the song and much of Arcade Fire’s catalog might inspire in a listener.
1. Bob Dylan – “Like a Rolling Stone” Interactive Video.
Created by Interlude
For this new visual to “Like A Rolling Stone,” Dylan creates an interactive experience that allows users to flip the channel between various pop culture icons singing the song in the context of their own television shows, spanning from infomercials to Real Housewives and the History Channel to Marc Maron, peppered of course with vintage footage of Dylan performing the classic himself. For a song that’s been the soundtrack to many big changes over the years since its release, pairing it with the visuals to showcase its continued relevancy (even in somewhat goofy, unexpected circumstances) makes it a resounding example for artists of any age: with the right message, a song can be meaningful to fans of all ages and tastes.
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