This week in music videos was a time of wonderful excess. Big flashy pop videos from Taylor Swift, Justin Bieber, Nick Jonas, and Miley Cyrus all accompanied MTV's Video Music Awards and across the internet everyone else seemed to be on the same page. We got bright colors, big concepts, bold animation, and all kinds of fresh dance moves. The days of yore when Missy Elliott and Michael Jackson made super-million dollar videos are over, but that doesn't mean artists are backing down on art direction. And the honorable mentions of the week brought it hard, too. Nico & Vinz put a bunch of ideas in blender and made a lot of fun out of speculating on their eventual fall from grace with "That's How You Know," and Tinashe made a solo piece of performance art that we have to give the nod based on sheer commitment. So check out "Bet" if you know what's good for you.
Quite simply the connection we all hope to have with a stranger in a dance club.
If you’re Sevdaliza the world is a liquid gold and platinum palace. Opulent 3D animated videos can look a little try-hard sometimes, but "That Other Girl" manages to be just beautiful, and succeeded in getting us very interested in this Iranian-born, Netherlands-based siren.
The selfie stick is a scourge on humanity. Some mass gatherings, like Comic-Con International and Disney parks, have even banned them from use. Victory! But occasionally they can still factor into some novel music video production. Alessia Cara's video for "Here" was a fantastic embodiment of how it feels when you’re at the party but you wish you could just Netflix and chill (in the actual way not the euphemism way). Now with "I'm Yours" Cara could not have taken a more streamlined, lo-fi approach, as the video's description indicates: "creepy man in a tree: casual Sunday. that's my brother playing the unwanted love interest lol. thanks Dario." This 19-year-old is very talented, and if she can keep us interested by just holding up her iPhone and running around a street with her little brother, we're excited to see what she brings to the table when she's more established.
A bunch of pairs of legs running around and leaving their torso halves behind to languish. Thanks JR JR for capitalizing on this very under-utilized concept!
Is that Unique from Glee?! Oh my God it's Unique from Glee looking fabulous.
So, wow. This song manages to be at least three songs rolled into one and the video is a complete catastrophe—imagine Bruno Mars making "Uptown Funk" without the legitimizing coolness of Mark Ronson—but it could be ... perfect? That's entirely subjective, but for all its weirdness (especially the appearances of Melle Mel, Kool Moe Dee, and Grandmaster Caz!) the saving grace factor is Eric Nally, formerly of Foxy Shazam, going full camp rock star and riding into the frame in a motorcycle-drawn eagle chariot. Love it. Hate it. But it's fully happening.
In a week full of color and bombast, Kelvin Jones delighted us with this trim and beautiful visual for his trim and beautiful song "Call You Home." Let's relax into space together.
Le1f is a really special character. If you're not familiar with his face-serving, fierce-vogueing frenetic kind of joyful realness, then you're missing out. But you can fix that right now as you watch him dance across an island as a giant Koi and bubbles of water float through the air around him. Because that's Le1f.
What the actual fuck is this?
So, just to be clear, Chrissie Hynde, Bill Murray, Paul Shaffer, Bruce Springsteen, and Steven Van Zandt are all out in this video to help Darlene Love throw a Back to the Beach-style party on the sand with surfboards and drop top classic convertibles? Yes please!
