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#10 - A-Trak & Tommy Trash - Tuna Melt
Domino courses are always entertaining to watch. I would've never thought this song would go well on a Rube Goldberg video, but it does. There are a couple spots in the video that are clearly edited, which I suppose takes away some of the magic, but there's still the risk of malfunction that makes this a fun watch. I love the fact that it takes place in a house - makes me wish I could set up something like that in mine.
#9 - Jon Hopkins - Open Eye Signal
The power in this video lies in its length. A lonely teenager skateboards his way through small towns and desolate landscapes. We don't know where he's going, where he is, or how he got his injuries. This video is gorgeously shot, and manages to be engaging for the whole 8 minutes, despite technically little going on. A perfect visual for the song.
#8 - Moderat - Bad Kingdom
Modeselektor & Apparat return with another collaboration with their art director, Pfadfinderei. This hand-drawn video is mesmerisingly simple, yet it's able to tell a complex story of corruption, betrayal, business, and greed. The song and video compliment each other perfectly, making it all the more powerful.
#7 - The M Machine - Tiny Anthem
This animated video tells the story of Metropolis, its greedy ruler, and a woman at the center of a revolution. I really enjoyed the message of this video, as well as it distinct art style (It reminds me of Superjail. This is a good thing.). Apparently it was shown on Toonami, giving it extra exposure, so hopefully we'll some more videos like this from The M Machine in the future.
#6 - David Bowie - Love Is Lost ("Hello Steve Reich" Mix by James Murphy for the DFA)
It's odd to make a music video for a remix, isn't it? Believe it or not, two music videos were made for this song; the first one doesn't compare to this full-length version. The first half of the video reminds me of the music videos from The Chemical Brothers' Further; it's taking you on a journey. The second half is slightly NSFW, but still eye-popping. It's ambiguous, but I love this video.
#5 - Jackson & His Computerband - G.I. Jane (Fill Me Up)
As you can probably tell from the thumbnail, this video is extremely NSFW. I'm surprised it's on YouTube; it's basically an animated nightmare shock-full of phallic imagery and gore. It doesn't give a f*ck about how over the top it is, and that's why I love it. A messed-in-the-head video for a messed-in-the-head song.
#4 - Gesaffelstein - Pursuit
Gesaffelstein has one of the best visual styles of any musician. The dark, medieval-futuristic style he pulls off so well in his music is brought to life in this symbolism-heavy video. The video is supposedly about the rise and fall of a monarch, but the video gives us much to interpret for ourselves. Song's a banger, too.
#3 - Bonobo - Cirrus
What starts out as a montage of vintage videos slowly morphs into a cavalcade of trippy imagery, all made of bits and pieces of footage. A team-up of the relatively laidback music of Bonobo with the hyperactive animations of Cyriak would sound like a strange combination, but Cyriak finds something that works astoundingly well.
#2 - Phoenix - Trying To Be Cool / Drakkar Noir
I'm not a fan of performance videos, but this one is so creative and fun I can't help but adore it. A series of timers count down; every time it reaches zero, the camera switches view, and we're transported to another zany scene. I really like the studio feel of the video, you can see the directors and camera operators helping the magic unfold. I doubt this video was really filmed in a single take, but if it was, that's just amazing.
#1 - Atoms For Peace - Before Your Very Eyes
This has to be one of the mesmerizing music videos I've ever seen. There's an undeniable hypnotic quality to how the vibrating computer-generated sand dunes undulate around Thom Yorke's falling-apart stone head. The jaw-dropping visual effects grab and hold you until the very end; it's fun to look at and purely emotional as well. I recommend watching the behind-the-scenes video to see the labor that went into making this work of art.
...And that's it! You'll likely disagree with some of my choices, but these are the music videos that caught the attention of my eyes and ears. I've been compiling this list all year, and thanks for reading, I hope you enjoyed it!
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