Although the majority of 2013’s most popular music videos might have been catered to teenage boys with zero appreciation for creativity or artistic integrity, there were quite a few that chose to employ original artistry over half naked gals and dudes in expensive suits. So let’s all take a moment to appreciate our favorites – some of the most inventive, entertaining and downright weird.
FKA Twigs – “Water Me”
FKA Twigs is definitely one of the more interesting artists to emerge in the last year, and her video for “Water Me” is an awesomely appropriate introduction to her style and essence. The track is haunting and subtle and beautiful, so what better accompaniment than a video that’s equally haunting and subtle and beautiful? Using ingenious digital effects, we see a close-up of the unnaturally beautiful singer as she morphs into a bug-eyed creature.
Yeah Yeah Yeah’s – “Sacrilege”
In a dark and twisted tale of seduction and revenge, supermodel Lily Cole plays an innocent-looking small town girl with a big appetite for sex and a horrible fate. In just four minutes, the video manages to include a public execution and equally terrifying witch-hunt, backwards small-town folks with a vengeance, and Miss Cole getting it on with a whole bunch of people. But it’s undoubtedly the backwards narrative structure that makes it so awesome, and also so affecting. “Thought-provoking” isn’t ordinarily used to describe modern-day music videos, but this is an exception.
Disclosure ft. Eliza Doolittle – “You & Me”
At first, the video for Disclosure’s impossibly catchy “You & Me” kind of looks like a subdued rendition of “We Found Love.” But in this case, less is definitely more; rather than crying, screaming, fighting and drugging, the couple happily backpacks around Europe with a little bit of cash and a lot of love for each other. And there’s something about the pairing of this incredible track with such a lovely and youthful couple that makes the video almost as addicting as the song itself.
HEARTSREVOLUTION – “$ex”
If you’re at all familiar with Alt Citizen, then you probably already know that we adore the dynamic duo that is HEARTSREVOLUTION. They’ve perfected the combination of powerful and playful (hence their name) and their “$ex” video is proof. It gives viewers an honest lecture in gender studies, but in the most entertaining and creative of ways.
Beach House – “Wishes”
And here we have Ray Wise (a.k.a. LELAND FUCKING PALMER) lip-syncing Beach House’s beautifully moody “Wishes” while teams of terrifying cheerleaders, carnival-esque athletes and fervent, masked fans partake in a totally bizarre show around him. It’s kind of scary and kind of funny, but mostly awesome, and everything you’d expect from its directors, Tim and Eric. If only the Super Bowl Halftime show could be more like this.
MS MR – “Think of You”
MS MR came out with some rad videos this year, but the psychedelic “Think of You” stands out among the others. It almost looks like a Lisa Frank commercial that was directed by David Cronenberg circa Videodrome, and with lots of LSD involved. But with serious Tumblr vibes, and lead singer Lizzy Plapinger’s fantastic rainbow hair, it’s also highly appropriate for 2013.
Cat Power – “Manhattan”
On the surface, this video might seem like a fun and light-hearted tour of NYC, as we watch Chan Marshall joyfully dance around the city streets. But the song’s rather dismal lyrics about yearning for “old New York” kind of make the gleeful frolicking bear a sort of sadness. Either way, it’s always great to watch someone happily trek around Manhattan, and something about this video invokes a sense of nostalgia in viewers who may or may not have ever lived in and/or been there.
Dirty Projectors – “Impregnable Question”
There isn’t a whole lot of action in this Adam Newport-Berra-directed video, but it surely is beautiful. The camera follows a lone runner as he jogs around Grand Teton and Yellowstone National Parks, until he stops for a cigarette and conjures up a pretty Mountain Dew-bestowing cheerleader in his mind. Or is she real? That’s presumably up to you to decide, but regardless, this video and its insane scenic shots are otherworldly.
Jon Hopkins – “Collider”
Excuse me while my inner film geek takes over, but this video is kind of brilliant. The Hopkins track is already powerful in itself, and this Tom Haines-directed work of art dramatically enhances its progression and force, and brings it to a whole new level. Shots, almost instantly, jump back and forth between day and night, as a young woman who appears to be possessed (by the music, perhaps?) seizes and writhes around on the ground and against the walls until she’s bleeding and covered in dirt. Bonus points for its creepy resemblance to the demonic “miscarriage scene” from the 1980’s horror classic “Posession.”
David Bowie – “The Stars (Are Out Tonight)”
When Tilda Swinton, some gorgeous and artsy models, and Bowie himself, make a music video together, it isn’t really all that shocking when the end result is pretty phenomenal. In this amazingly surreal video, everything from societal and gender roles to the invasion of physical and psychological space, get probed, swapped and/or erased completely. It’s a beautiful mind-fuck, and a reminder that David Bowie will never lose his cool.