In what we perceive as the digital age, videos can appeal to us almost as much as their music does - at times, the music is an accompaniment to the video, not vice versa! Great film is in abundance thanks to YouTube but I've selected ten of the stand-out music videos of the year, all brilliant in their own ways.
Oblivion - Grimes
This video carries a similar charm and playfulness to the song it supports, however it doesn't have the more chilling side of the tune. Instead Grimes focuses on dazzling us with sheer fun and excitement, embracing the ebb and flow of the moments in life and warming the soul.
Oldie - OFWGKTA
This is the definition of raw and straight-up. It's not often these days you get to witness a true posse cut in hip-hop, and the sheer audacity of this brings A Tribe Called Quest and Leader of the New School's 'Scenario' to mind, with chemistry of an early '90's Wu-Tang Clan. I love how natural the clip is, how spontaneous it is and like most Odd Future YouTube clips, it makes you almost feel a part of their crew. The varying characteristics and personalities of all the different members of Odd Future get a chance to shine on this one.
Changes ft. Heart Streets - LOL Boys
LOL Boys have the Internet flowing through their bloodstreams, as you can tell from the name. It's only fitting the video would incorporate technology but the fantastic part is the way they bring in all their friends for this one. Like one big happy family ^_^
Bad Girls - MIA
If I had to choose a must-watch video of 2012, I would probably choose this. It's MIA back in action doing what she does best and stirring the masses, pumping us with adrenalin and controversy. There's a whole world of YouTube videos out there of Arabs doing crazy things in cars on motorways and it's cool to see someone tap into this and kick up something revolutionary while the Arab Spring is still fresh in memory. This is how you go about making a statement.
Vengeance Rhythm - Two Fingers
At first, I have no idea what I'm watching. Then, an immaculately-animated teddy bear starts assaulting everything in sight with violence unknown to mankind and finally, the slaughter comes to an end. When the final piece of the puzzle clicks in at the close, I begin to understand a reason for the violence, and it scares me.
Putty Boy Strut - Flying Lotus
Big up Cyriak for this one. Chaos. Unity and Power. Cycles of Life and Death. A beautiful animation that graphically chronicles these themes and elements of our existence, and tells a story. A warning for some, and inspiration for others. The immense level of detail is also highly impressive.
Grown Up - Danny Brown
Danny takes us back to his roots both in the song and in the video. The kid playing Danny is both fantastic and adorable. To be honest I just think this was the coolest video out this year, nearly cool enough to bring back the word 'fly'. It's how I genuinely imagine Danny Brown acting as a child.
Mercy - GOOD Music
At first, it's also so simple, all so unoriginal. Kanye, the face of a brand new banger, showing his style (and I seriously dig the fashion in this) in a clip about a car. With the song, the deeper you look, the more complexities you find and this video shares that same quality. The director, Nabil, is on a roll now, having directed for Frank Ocean and currently working with Foals.It's clear why - the camera swerve and zoom techniques, and the overall direction of the video are immaculate - he takes a very simple trick a long way. Long takes always get me. Plus there are so many golden moments, spot them: Standing still at the start. Swerve. Big Sean's ass-quake dance. Big Sean's AK-47. Swerve. Mr. Hudson hidden in plain sight. Kid Cudi's IDGAF dance. Kanye's aggressive tribal battle dance in the background. Swerve. Teyana Taylor. D'Banj doing his possessed bird swoop.
I Know This Can't Be Love - XXXY
A chilling, goosebump-inducing way to portray a relationship beginning to fade into nothing.
The Baddest Man Alive - The Black Keys x RZA
In this video, the respective artists all get into a brawl over a fortune cookie, and trash the restaurant while they're at it. I guess I just never thought I'd get to see the RZA slap Dan Auerbach in the face with a fish.
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