Top 5 Music Videos of the Week: Steve Aoki, Light Years + more
It’s time, once again, to look at what sound and video are doing in the world. Open up your ears and eyes, and let’s see what rocks off socks this week.
5. Weltesser — “Terminal”
Look, no music video is ever going to be more disturbing than Tobacco’s “Streaker,” but damn if “Terminal” didn’t come really close. It’s part Metallica’s “One,” part just general mindfuck, and all not for the faint of heart. Don’t watch it with the lights off.
4. Oren Lavie ft. Vanessa Paradis — “Did You Really Say No”
Full disclosure, I have had a hardcore crush on Vanessa Paradis ever since I saw her in Girl on the Bridge upstairs at the River Oaks Theatre. The day she and Johnny Depp got divorced, I went and got a haircut just in case. Seeing her again in “Did You Really Say No” is a reminder of exactly why I love her so much. The video is a stark, nigh-incomprehensible masterpiece of emotion, where two people filter their feelings through an ensemble cast of dancers. It’s poetry in video form, and just wonderful to experience.
3. Sløtface — “Empire Records”
Okay, kids? You can take a bathroom break. This is for the olds. *deep breath* HOLY SHIT SOMEONE MADE A HIGH SCHOOL PLAY OUT OF HIGH FIDELITY AND IT IS LITERALLY THE BEST THING EVER OH MY GOD. I swear I just traveled back in time ten years. Thanks, Sløtface!
2. Light Years — “The Summer She Broke My Heart”
This is a cheesy send-up on The Blair Witch Project, but you know what? I’m including it because someone finally managed to make studio videos entertaining. It’s crass, juvenile, and silly, but I be-bopped through the whole thing because it’s just that engaging.
1. Steve Aoki and Louis Tomlinson — “Just Hold On”
Steve Aoki is my favorite artist who doesn’t generally make very interesting music videos. I love his music, but rarely find his video output compelling. “Just Hold On” is a rare exception, a love story that instantly engages and enthralls a viewer. I was hooked from the first moment, and it serves as the perfect, light-hearted send-off for a week that started very dark.
