Sunday, November 29, 2009

Best Music Videos of the Decade Pt. 1

The countdown of the 100 best albums of the decade is right around the corner. But before we look back on 10 years of great music, I thought it would be fitting to look back on 10 years of great music videos in 3 parts.

These are not really listed in any particular order.

OK Go - Here It Goes Again

There has been a lot of talk lately about how kids these days need to exercise. You think they would be a bit more motivated to hop on that treadmill if they knew they were going to have as much fun as OK Go?

Jay-Z - 99 Problems
Jay-Z is a child of New York and makes no bones about his adoration for the NYC. However "99 Problems" finds HOVA truly showing off the town he loves and makes us love it just as much.

Blink-182 - All The Small Things

Was their sound a little too generic at times? Yes. Were their boy band and teen pop targets a bit too easy to make fun of? Maybe. But do you still know the words to this song and get a few giggles when you watch the video?

Fatboy Slim - Weapon of Choice
Christopher Walken is an Oscar winner. He's also a bumbling buffoon who is aware of his own sillyness. Fatboy Slim is also aware of how silly his songs are and thus thought Walken would be the perfect fit for "Weapon of Choice". I couldn't disagree even if I wanted to.
Eminem - Stan

Eminem's "Stan" dealt with crazed fans and the worshiping of celebrities well before Paris, Britney and Lindsay showed off all of their vaginas for film. With a song this honest and violent, the video had to be just as palpable. Good thing they didn't fail miserably.

Radiohead - House of Cards
Whether breaking the boundaries of what people perceive as rock, to letting fans choose how much money they spend on an album, Radiohead have always been on the cutting edge. This video, which was filmed without the use of cameras and replaced with a new 3D technology, is no exception to the rule.

Weezer - Pork and Beans

Now that MTV doesn't play music, videos have gone viral over the past decade. Weezer, along with YouTube stars such as the Numa Numa kid, made the best viral video ever and got over 20 million views on an other wise disposable song.

Gnarls Barkley - Who's Gonna Save My Soul
Gnarls Barkley's 2006 debut video "Crazy" was an explosion of soul and color. However this video is littered with melancholy as a young couple try to deal with heart break all while Cee-Lo sings the soundtrack.

Johnny Cash - Hurt
The man in black was facing the end of the road when this haunting video was released. Originally a Nine Inch Nails song, "Hurt" finds Cash still embodied as the ultimate outlaw only now he's an outlaw with feelings.
Everclear - AM Radio

The 70s were a good time for Everclear's Art Alexakis. So he decided to sample Jean Knight's "Mr. Big Stuff" and relive the glory days with his band mates. The last good video the band ever made.

Modest Mouse - Little Motel
Their music can be so wretchedly twisted and strange at times. However "Little Motel" finds Isaac Brock and Co. feeling a little bit more morose and focused on melody. Sure Coldplay's "The Scientist" may have used the idea first, but Modest Mouse used it more effectively.

Kanye West - Jesus Walks

Kanye West sure is boastful. Some give him grief for it while I simply remember "Jesus Walks" and the powerful images this video shows. Any rapper can rap about Jesus, but it takes a real believer to speak about him with as much conviction as West.

Gorillaz - Feel Good Inc.
The idea of an animated band could've crashed and burned. But this is Gorillaz. "Feel Good Inc." is the band's most beautifully animated and smoothest looking video yet made. The scenes that show Noodles playing lonely guitar on the floating island looks like something out of a movie.

The White Stripes - Fell In Love With a Girl
LEGOs are fun. Even Jack White is aware of this simple truth as The White Stripes get animated in this 2 minute blast of pure garage rock bliss.

OutKast - Ms. Jackson
Big Boi and Andre 3000 are proper gentlemen. When their lady friend becomes spurned they try desperately to make it up to her mama. Even if she doesn't approve, I'd let them give my home an X-treme makeover.

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