2010: Year In Music Videos (or, how I made a Top Ten List hopelessly complicated)
Is it ironic that OK Go has become the essential music video band by not making anything that would traditionally be considered a music video? In a way, their best known clips are not music videos at all, but rather documentations of amazing, elaborate live events and stunts. No edits, no cinematography of note, none of the elements that normally define a music video other than the lip-sync.
Music videos circa 2011 are at a crossroads. There's still traditional music videos beings made (Eminem "Love The Way You Lie"), but there's also been an onslaught of lo-fi stunt videos (OK Go), plus videos that take advantage of the lack of broadcast restrictions online (Scissor Sisters "Invisible Light") and still others that take advantage of the lack of any restrictions thanks to the technology afforded by ever evolving web technology (Arcade Fire)...
Here are the videos that stuck in my craw this past year, for whatever reason, presented in a way that makes sense to me.
NON-TRADITIONAL:
- Arcade Fire "The Wilderness Downtown (We Used To Wait)" (Chris Milk, dir.) — The first large-scale video to truly deliver a personalized experience, while also breaking free of the normal constraints dictated by a browser or a TV screen. What could have been merely a showcase for HTML5 coding and Google's new web broswer, the video taps into the song's deeper fears about the quick paced and ephemeral nature of the digital age.
- Kanye West "Runaway" (Kanye West, director) — Yes, I know it's essentially a retelling of Splash. And yes, none of the individual set-pieces here would make for a totally compelling video, but the sheer audacity (aka: balls) of a major artist to deliver a 34 minute no-compromise art film should be applauded. And the actual content, both in terms of music and visuals, is far more successful and ambitious than anyone else in the game.
STUNT VIDEOS: One Takers and more....Not all these are one-take, but they're all similar in spirit.
- OK Go "This Too Shall Pass (Rube Goldberg version)" (James Frost, OK Go and Synn Labs, dir.) — As complex as they wanna be...
- OK Go "White Knuckles" (Trish Sie + OK Go) — "Never work with children or animals"... unless you're OK Go and willing to choreograph a one take dog ballet.
- Coldplay "Christmas Lights" (Mat Whitecross, dir.) — This may be the Tipping Point for the genre, where arguably the biggest band in the world can go one-take for a Christmas single.
- Hollerado "Americanarama" (Greg Jardin, dir.) — If reality was 8-bit...
- 3OH!3 "Double Vision" (Evan Bernard, dir.) — If reality was the Internet...
- Erykah Badu "Window Seat" (Coodie & Chike, dir.) — If Matt & Kim's public striptease was loaded with political history...
- Kanye West "Power" (Marco Brambilla, dir.) — If you commissioned a fine-artist to make a refined version of the one-taker.
NSFW: Inappropriate videos that could get you fired...
- El Guincho "Bombay" (Nicholas Mendez, dir.) — OK, bohemia.
- Scissor Sisters "Invisible Light" (Nicholas Mendez, dir.) — Retro bizarro porno. Bueno.
- Cee-Lo "No One's Gonna Love You" (Skinny, dir.) — Or, why you shouldn't blow all your gas money on drugs.
- MIA "Born Free" (Romain Gavras, dir.) — No sex, all violence. A ginger nightmare even scarier than Carrot Top.
- Devendra Banhart "Foolin" (Isaiah Seret, dir.) — I can't explain this one. I just know it's inappropriate.
- Klaxons "Twin Flames" (Saam, dir.) — Come together. Over me.
TRADITIONAL TOP TEN: Videos that are videos as you've always known them. Don't let the "traditional" tag fool you: Most of these are pretty adventurous. (Listed alphabetically)
- Audio Bullys "Only Man" (Jonas & Francois, dir.)
- Black Keys "Tighten Up" (Chris Marrs Piliero, dir.)
- BOB "Nothin On You" (Ethan Lader, dir.)
- Eminem f/ Rihanna "Love The Way You Lie" (Joseph Kahn, dir)
- Jay-Z "On To The Next One" (Sam Brown, dir.)
- Katy Perry "California Gurls" (Mathew Cullen, dir.)
- Kid Cudi "Pursuit Of Happiness" (Megaforce, dir.)
- Lady Gaga "Telephone" (Jonas Akerlund, dir.)
- My Chemical Romance "Na Na Na" (Gerard Way + Roboshobo, dir.)
- Uffie "Difficult" (AB/CD/CD, dir.)
HONORABLE MENTIONS: Videos that don't quite fit in any of my other lists, but deserve listing...
- Yeasayer "Madder Red" (Andreas Nilsson, dir.)
- Chromeo "Don't Turn The Lights On" (Keith Schofeld, dir.)
- Kylie Minogue "All The Lovers" (Joseph Kahn, dir.)
- Miike Snow "The Rabbit" (Andreas Nilsson, dir.)
- Goldfrapp "Alive" (LEGS, dir.)
- The Roots "Dear God 2.0" (Jason Goldwatch, dir.)
- Liars "Scissor" (Andy Bruntel, dir.)
- New Politics "Yeah Yeah Yeah" (Lance Drake, dir.)
note: All of these videos have been previously covered on Videostatic during 2010. If I missed it the first time, it's missing from here.
Also, if there's a true video of the year, maybe it's this viral from 30frames...
