What a banner week in the music video game! The songs are as great as the videos themselves, and we had to turn away contenders at the door. A vampire, a glistening rock star, Dalí-esque tableaus, people in bear suits, a handful of Willow Smiths, and scary mannequin people—this roll call is stacked. Bob your head, tap your feet, but above it all, look closely. MTV is of no use, so let's thank the Internet for all these audio visual treasures. Oh, and special shout-outs to Britney Spears and Iggy Azalea for their surreal dip into early-2000s pop videos with "Pretty Girls," and to Gavin James for the emotional short film behind his "For You" clip. We have to make tough choices for the top 10, but we love you just the same.
We're suckers for some good old-fashioned hand drawn animation.
There's something strangely affecting about these obsidian figures contrasting with the water pouring around them. Why is it so moving? Why can't we look away? Let's watch again and keep wondering.
Consulting art director: Salvador Dalí.
A lot of people seem super pissed about results of the recent election in the UK. (John Oliver's reaction: "If you live anywhere on Earth that is not the United Kingdom, then frankly, congratulations in a significant, lasting way. Because I'm guessing the UK is a pretty depressing place to wake up this morning, unless you're an asshole.") But the punk band Slaves has a message of hope: It's OK London; you're already dead anyway! And they're delivering the message with a sort of flashmob. Cheers, Britain!
The words in this video were sourced entirely from SoundCloud comments, which ends up being a pretty cool way to involve your fans—and probably some of your trolls—in your art.
If the world actually looked like this, the world would be a terrible, scary place. Not even Frank would be OK with this.
There's something that feels very true about a rock star dancing amidst a gaggle of beautiful women turning into a expression of pure light and glitter. Isn't that why people become rock stars in the first place?
Step right up to the express bus to hell, everyone!
To love or to eat. The eternal struggle of a vampire with a crush.
Oh yeah, when we say "Willow" we do mean "Smith." If you turn down all the noise in your head comprising your feelings on the family Smith, you'll be able to hear a kooky, fun, interesting track from the empire's youngest member. Turns out, Willow has a fairly legit artistic voice, and this video is exactly what we want to see from a 14-year-old exploring their heart songs with the help of a xylophone. Dance on, baby Smith.
