November 2012

Here's why most videos shouldn't have opening credits. All it does is delay the viewer from getting to the good stuff. Once the action starts in this 2D romp in which dance music breaks apart a totalitarian regime, it's a blast. Also, this would have been an awesome video for the Serge Gainesbourg bizarro hit, "Nazi Rock." --> watch "I Wish That"

Director AG Rojas gives birth to something sinister in this collection of short cuts for Purity Ring. The opening segment sets the formula: A character leads the viewer on a long tracking shot — think Goodfellas Copa scene, but with malice and mystery — that climaxes and then gets wiped away by a data mosh fade into the next scene. Climax #1 sets the tone as well: A bloody backroom Pieta that puts birth and death at the forefront of your mind as each subsequent story adds another loop to the circle of life. --> watch "Lofticries"

The gilded frame tells you the intention is art in this new Kid Cudi video directed by  Scott Mescudi himself, even if there's a casual vibe that flips between a trippy car ride and a Red Solo Cup performance. --> watch "Just What I Am"

• artist: Above And Beyond
• song: "Alchemy"
• label: Involved Productions
• director(s): Jonas Mayabb
• production co: Superseed Content
• rep: Laure Scott
• producer: Pola Brown
• commissioner: John Moule