Top 20 Videos of 2010

Posted by Sean in Best Of, Featured | 0 comments

Here come the lists! We’ve already had Mark covering his best singles and albums, and now we come to videos. When I think of a great video, I think of something not only visually arresting, but images that are inextricably tied to the song itself. Every time you hear that song after seeing the video, your mind automatically queues it up in the Netflix of your brain. That’s my criterion for a good video; your mileage may vary.

Cosmo Jarvis – Gay Pirates

I normally find literal interpretations of song lyrics in a video kind of lazy/uninteresting, but in this case they really couldn’t have done it any other way. Beautiful, funny, and touching.

Massive Attack – Atlas Air

Slightly creepy song gets very creepy video. Gorgeous animation. And demon rabbits!

Uffie – Difficult

Uffie walks down a hallway. Sounds pretty basic, right? Not in the hands of creative collective AB/CD/CD. It a sort of ‘Bittersweet Symphony’ meets 90210 meets M.C. Escher. Yeah, like that.

Esben and the Witch – Marching Song

This video is basically an endurance test. I’ve only been able to watch it all the way through twice, and both times involved squirming and averting my eyes. Saying it’s unsettling is an understatement.

Sleigh Bells – Infinity Guitars

In interviews, Sleigh Bells’ Alexis Krauss seems shy and demure, but that’s certainly not the case in this video for ‘Infinity Guitars’, where she struts as confidently as an extra from West Side Story while shouting lyrical gems like ‘Dumb whores/Best friends/Cowboys/Indians’. It’s brief but oh so memorable.

Gorillaz – Stylo

A black Camaro, highway shootouts, The Angel of Death and Bruce Willis. I rest my case.

The Victorian English Gentleman’s Club – Bored in Belgium

Filmed from inside my nightmares.

Lykke Li – Get Some

Like Fever Ray covering The Dixie Cups with an extra dash of gyrating hips.

Groove Armada – Paper Romance

Every yearly video countdown needs at least one filthy, alcohol-fueled, mascara-streaked night of debauchery. This is that moment!

Hot Chip – I Feel Better

Hot Chip as a boy band. What could be better than that?

Tiesto feat Tegan & Sara – I Feel It In My Bones

Like Tron, but with less fighting and more Tegan & Sara.

Crystal Castles – Celestica

Alice Glass in her Wednesday Addams best, wandering around a graveyard. What’s not to like?

The Arcade Fire – The Wilderness Downtown

Arcade Fire make you the star of their video. This list isn’t numbered, but if it was I’d say this would be my pick for video of the year. Great concept and slick execution.

Goldfrapp – Alive

Jazzercising vampires take on Finnish Death Metal devotees in a dance off. Hijinks ensue.

Robyn – Dancing On My Own

I don’t know if what Robyn does here is actually dancing, but it’s awesome. And if I were anywhere near her, she would no longer be dancing on her own.

Kanye West – Power

If Kanye West receives a lifetime achievement award in 2053, I hope he ascends the dais while this song plays. It’s like 300, except it’s only 1 minute and 30 seconds long, and thus unquestionably better.

Royksopp – Senior Living

Three valley girls run through a rain-soaked wasteland while creepy, maybe-Zombies lurk about and watch them from the shadows. What caused this catastrophe? Why are all the kids naked? Are all those dogs real? Figments of their imaginations? Spirit guides? This video is unique in that it’s not for a specific song, but actually features clips from numerous songs on Royksopp’s album, Senior.

iamamiwhoami – 13.1.14.4.18.1.7.15.18.1.1110

Not her best song, but this is the video that marked the point where iamamiwhoami locked in the visual aesthetic that would mark all her future videos. Freaky fisheye camera action, ejaculating trees, snowy landscapes and puppies. Okay, not so much the puppies.

The Joy Formidable – Popinjay

Do I really need an excuse to post a Joy Formidable track? Especially an animated one?

Marina & The Diamonds – Shampain

Like Thriller, but the zombies are socialites.