Turn down the lights, fire up the projector and light a candle if that’s your style…here’s my picks for the Top 15 Music Videos Of 2011. I tried to encompass a lot of image styles and music in this list. There’s all types of directors and production scales ranging from Canon 7D equipped bare bones budgets to freaking Michel Gondry shooting stop motion on a Bolex (or so I read). I think that’s what’s crazy and great about being a director and designer in this time. If you want to, you have access to pretty much everything (visually speaking) if you put time into it. Hopefully some directors, DPs and photographers are inspired by this, it was a good year for the moving image and I suspect it to only get better and more creative in 2012. Hope you all dig the list and if you make it through each video all the way through, no skipping…you can rule out any form of attention deficit disorder.
I haven’t listed any of these in a rank, only because they’re all good at specific things. However, if I had to pick one favorite, it’d be Eric Epstein’s magically haunting work for Memory Tapes.
View all the videos after the break
Memory Tapes “Yes I Know”
Director – Eric Epstein
Caribou “Jamelia”
Director – Video Marsh
Björk “Crystalline”
Director – Michel Gondry
Lord Huron “The Stranger”
Director – Jacob Mendel
The Naked and Famous “The Sun”
Director – Special Problems
Battles “Ice Cream”
Director – Canada
Youth Lagoon “Montana”
Director – Tyler T Williams
M83 “Midnight City”
Director – Fleur & Manu
Tennis “Take Me Somewhere”
Director – Ian Perlman
Hooray For Earth “True Loves”
Director – Young Replicant
Matthew Dear “Headcage”
Director – Morgan Beringer
Efterklang “Modern Drift”
Director – Vincent Moon
Little Dragon “Little Man”
Director – Yours Truly / French Press Films
Twin Shadow “‘в моих пятках’ (At My Heels)” Director Commentary Version
Director – Alex Markman
Toro Y Moi “How I Know”
Director – Jordan Kim
The Toro Y Moi video was filmed in Angeleno Heights, in a house very familiar to this poster. Major props.
This list is solid gold.
Awesome list, thanks Charles!
most hipsterish top, what i’ve seen.
Where’s “Look At Me Now”? 🙁
How did com truise not make this list?
The only thing wrong with this list is that Matthew Dears “Slowdance” isn’t on it 😉
Excellent list. It’s hard to choose, but you might also consider a recent favorite of mine, Flight Facilities – Foreign Affair. The spirit of those times is eternal. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JI6fDb6IBmU
Good list ! What about Gustav Johansson’s clip for Karl X Johan’s “Flame” : http://vimeo.com/19026280 ?
What an excellent list! I’ve already shared a number of these gems with my friends. Some are down right cool, like Toro Y Moi’s “How I Know,” But some are simply evocative, like Lord Huron’s “Stranger.” That video is soooo sad!–but very well done. M83’s “Midnight City” is just badass. I would try to shatter glass with my brain power when I was a kid, so the video was a kind of desire brought to life.
Correction: “Montana” by Youth Lagoon is the saddest video on the list. My lord! But so well done. Oh Memory, how you haunt us.
Great list. I thought this one would be a good contender for 2011
http://vimeo.com/31939621
M83’s “Midnight City” is almost a shot for shot recreation of the beginning of Akira.
Keep the suggestions coming, I like seeing what everyone else saw as their favorite this year!
That one was pretty amazing as well http://vimeo.com/25518056?utm_medium=referral&utm_source=pulsenews !
Gotye?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8UVNT4wvIGY
Love this list! Was the Woodkid “Iron” video from 2011?
Love this list! Was the Woodkid “Iron” video from 2011?
http://vimeo.com/21604065
All the videos are stupendous…. loved all. Nice collection… Hope for the same next time.
2011 피치포크가 선정한 최고의 새음악 TORO Y MOl 내한 2.17
http://www.supercolorsuper.com