Elijah Wood convalesces in bed with a bandaged stump in the place of his right arm. Maybe it's magic, or the meds, but his room slowly comes alive to first create a bionic replacement and then transport him to a fractal fantasy where his limb fully regenerates. It's a dream, of course — maybe the result of watching Akira too often — but he does wake up to a change in his condition that proves that something happened in his fugue state. --> watch "Tiny Tortures"
If partying with will.i.am and Britney is fun, then celebrating with all the rythmically multiplied versions of them in this clip is 10x the excitement. Director Ben Mor crafts a syncopated and stylized universe that features a figure-skating inspired wardrobe and a possible world-record for luxury product shots. There is a lot of eye candy, but nothing matches will's devastating Demolition Man cut. Simon says, "Dance." ---> watch "Scream & Shout"
Time stands still for Darwin Deez at his convenience store job, stuck in a monotonous and repetitive rut. Can he break free? Of course he can, but not without literally squeezing himself out of this otherwise endless — yet very clever — video loop. --> watch "Free (The Editorial Me)"
The dulcet tones of a 56K modem and a swaying mouse hypnotize you into exactly the right mindstate to enjoy this descent into Ascii art from Hot Sugar, Das Racist's Heems and director Matt Kliegman aka STEAMCLAM. --> watch "56K"
Hot Sugar f/ Heems "56k"Matt Kliegman/STEAMCLAM, director | Dylan Steinberg, DP
Ain't no party like a slumber party at Tegan And Sara's. The twin sisters rock out to a VHS karaoke tape while a mixed group of funloveing Gen-X'ers (circa the early '90s) lose their inhibitions as they enjoy the some good old fashioned sleepover games. --> watch "Closer"
Is she wallowing in despair, or is she seeking to change her heartbreak into some kind of rebirth? That's the central question in "Alchemy," which gets put in motion when the video's star, actress Mackenzie Fergins, spies her man with another woman. --> watch "Alchemy"
There's a series of collisions in this beautiful new How To Destroy Angels video, even if you never see any of them on-screen. There's the modern electronic rhythms of Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, finding expression on acoustic instruments and old-school floppy-disc tech; There's waves of analog static and digital distortions rippling through the other otherwise pristine, classical cinematography; And then there's the memories flooding singer Mariqueen Maandig's head, even as tries to freeze them out and look out into the infinite sea. --> watch "Ice Age"
Confucius allegedly said no matter where we go, we cannot escape ourselves. 50 Cent, Eminem and Adam Levine try to to do just that in this clip from director Rich Lee. The performers are caught in a moody world of sweeping searchlights and unseen observers where they cannot leave behind the truth that is their lives. Also, from the looks of this edgy nocturnal world, the paparazzi have militarized. And perhaps Fiddy, Em and Adam need to read the truth about black heliopters. --> watch "My Life"
If religion is the real opiate of the masses, then why waste time selling drugs on the corner when there's a more lucrative and seemingly safer alternative? Or, so it seems to a young charlatan who learns that there may be a heavier price to the faith healing game.--> watch "Close"
This stop-motion clip picks up momentum as it progresses, bouncing back and forth from photo strips to the real world while retaining a magical vibe.
Sean Arden, director: "In the end we shot over 3,000 frames at night, each one a long exposure. All of the location shooting with live characters took six grueling nights, from dusk 'til dawn... There was a moment I remember standing on the street at 4 am knowing that I just had to get ten yards ahead but knowing that it would take three hours to do that. It was a bit excruciating … After four hours of shooting we'd have ten measly seconds of actual footage but the worst part was that those ten seconds looked so beautiful we couldn't even whine about it."
A countergirl gets lured into an erotic underworld from which there's no escape. Unless a future installment offer a ray of sunshine, perhaps?
Ryan Hope, director: "Working with Wiz and The Weekend was great. Its rare these days for artists to put 100% trust in your creative, but when we spoke about ideas Wiz said as long as I'd be happy to put my name on it I could do what I wanted — which I thought brave to have faith in an Englishman he's never met. We shot the video in Toronto as part of an extended narrative for the whole album."
A disorienting opening shot sets the tone for thise clever twist on an "on the road" video from directing duo Rob & Rob for Josh Kumra. --> watch "Waiting For You"
Can Valley Girls HAIM pick and roll their way into your heart? Not only do they have the hoops skills to best some dudes in a three-on-three basketball game, they also know how to bust casually synchronized dance moves that may not make Beyonce jealous, but should make the indie boys swoon. Director Austin Peters carries that b-boy/b-girl homage to a florescent rig that looks like the hooptie version of a golden age Bad Boy video light show. --> "Don't Save Me"
