In addition to our 2018 Booooooom TV Awards we wanted to share our picks for the 15 best music videos from 2018! Now this is just our opinion but we did spend a lot (a LOT) of time watching music videos this past year. We’d love to hear what videos made your list! Send us a tweet! Enjoy.
Prism Tats — “Daggers”
Director: Jonny Look
Director Jonny Look’s delightfully absurd portrait of singer Garett van der Spek’s brother Mike, who eagerly shares his new obsession with throwing knives.
TwoPeople — “Something To Talk About”
Directors: Cooper Roussel + Dimitri Basil
Terrific editing transforms something quite mundane into a tense experience. The sequence at 1:44 with slow zoom and the jittery movement is magic.
Young Fathers — “Holy Ghost”
Director: Oscar Hudson
Director Oscar Hudson finds an interesting tone here that is playful and sinister at the same time. Love the energy in the very extreme camera movements, the whole thing felt utterly original.
Kali Uchis — “After The Storm” ft. Tyler, The Creator, Bootsy Collins
Director: Nadia Lee Cohen
Flawless styling, set dec and overall art direction here, pretty much what we’ve come to expect from any Nadia Lee Cohen project. The kitschy 70s suburbia she presents here isn’t quite as dark as some of her other work, there’s a playfulness that really works with the song.
Ateph Elidja — “Burn October”
Directors: Ed Braun + Justo Dell Acqua
Gorgeous cinematography in this fairly abstract look at life and death inside a unique little community in the Argentinean jungle where Ukrainian, Polish and German families settled.
Chaka Khan — “Like Sugar”
Director: Kim Gehrig
It is impossible to watch this and not wanna sweep everything onto the ground and get up and dance on your desk. Spectacular editing really accentuates the groove here. Best replay value of maybe any video on this list.
Josh Pan — “Take Your Time”
Director: Daniel Henry
Director Daniel Henry explores the themes of adolescence and repressed desires, capturing a really bizarre energy throughout. Major Yorgos Lanthimos vibes here in the best way.
A$AP Rocky — “Fukk Sleep” ft. FKA twigs
Director: Diana Kunst
Director Diana Kunst has a sense for creating images that exude a raw energy and an explosive attitude. Flawless styling and art direction here – pure eye candy. Rocky had a slew of good videos this year, this was our favourite.
Alaskan Tapes — “Places”
Director: Andrew De Zen
Andrew De Zen’s final video in a three-part series for Alaskan Tapes is a beautifully understated short following a man determined to find a way to see a lost loved one again. Stunning work by cinematographer Cole Graham.
Hurray for the Riff Raff — “Pa’lante”
Director: Kristian Mercado Figueroa
There’s a lot to live up to trying to create a visual for a song that stirs up so many emotions on its own. Kristian Mercado Figueroa’s response is a powerful portrait of a Puerto Rican family’s struggles amidst a community trudging on after Hurricane Maria.
LCD Soundsystem – “oh baby”
Director: Rian Johnson
A simple love story with a sci-fi twist. Director Rian Johnson’s understated approach to the story is the perfect accompaniment the song. Each elevates the other and if you hadn’t heard “oh baby” prior to the video, you wouldn’t be able to tell which had been created first.
Rosalía – “Pienso en Tu Mirá”
Director: CANADA
Catalan artist Rosalía blew up in Spain this year thanks in large part to two videos “Malamente” and “Pienso en Tu Mirá” both of which were directed by Barcelona-based collective, CANADA. The visuals in each brilliantly and beautifully collage the new and the old of Spanish culture in the same way her music does. There’s just something magical about this one, we could watch it over and over (and we have).
Indochine — “Station 13”
Director: Bouha Kazmi
Similar in many ways to “This Is America”, the much less discussed “Station 13” presents racism and violence through the lens of magical realism. Director Bouha Kazmi examines the fears people have of what they don’t understand. Jaw-dropping cinematography and flawless work by the art department here.
Florence + The Machine — “Big God”
Director: Autumn de Wilde
Less is more and this is beautiful proof. Director Autumn de Wilde allows the striking movements, choreographed by Akram Khan and Florence herself, to do all the talking. A round of applause for the stylists on this, Aldene Johnson and Vanessa Coyle. An absolute stunner.
Childish Gambino — “This Is America”
Director: Hiro Murai
The most horrifying moment of this nightmare presented to us by director Hiro Murai and Donald Glover is when the viewer realises what they’re seeing is the confusing and frightening reality that is daily life for black people in America. While black culture is continuously co-opted and commodified, the response to racism and violence toward black lives is little more than an apathetic swipe of a thumb on a mobile phone. This is a masterpiece that will be discussed for years to come (unless of course we let the world burn to the ground before then).
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