Top 10 Music Videos of 2010
By Mary Kosearas
That’s right ladies and gentlemen, it’s time for the top 10 of 2010. Have a drink, make a toast, and strap on those hats of judgment. This past year brought us a ton of great music, and despite the unfriendly budget cuts happening within the industry we continue to see impressive and inspiring interpretations of songs through online video. Thank you again internet for creating such an incredible outlet for bands that mysteriously fly under MTV, VH-1, and all other cable station’s radars. Cheers fellow music lovers. Hope you enjoy…
10. Caribou: Odessa
Runaways and vagabonds, this one’s for you. Directed by Video Marsh, Caribou aka Dan Snaith somehow made British Columbia edgy. For that (and for an awesome song) you make our top 10.
9. Kanye West: Power
Yeah, it’s Kanye. Can’t say much more. Video Directed by Canadian artist Marco Brambilla
8. Warpaint: Stars
Directed by Adam Harding and Burke Robert, the girls of Warpaint make playing with fire down right rad. 2010 was a huge year for them, and we can’t wait to see what they bring us next year.
7. Foals: Spanish Sahara
Director Dave Ma brings a new level of cinematography to music videos. The camera work and slow fade in help to bring an intoxicating chill to an already haunting and beautiful song.
6. Janelle Monae (Feat. Big Boi): TightRope
Directed by Wendy Morgan at the Palace of the Dogs, this video created an entirely new dance craze. I support any dance craze that can potentially eliminate the “dougie” from pop-culture.
5. The Black Keys: Tighten Up
This video is directed by Chris Marrs Piliero.
4. Hollerado: Americanarama
This video didn’t hit our radar until just recently, but thank god it did. Directed by Greg Jardin, it was amazingly shot in one take. The skill and dedication to create a video like this in a very OK Go kind of way is way beyond dancing girls in bikinis next to tricked out cars. We’d love to see more of this.
3. Jonsi: Go Do
This beautiful video is directed by Arni & Kinski, who’s helmed no less than six Sigur Rós videos. Being familiar with Sigur Ros proves to help in trying to nail down Jonsi’s imaginary land of wonder. The magic of lead singer, Jonsi, translates perfectly through the lens of Arni & Kinski in this video from Jonsi’s solo album, Go Do.
2. Hot Chip: I Feel Better
This video would sit on my top 10 forever and always if that was fair. Hot Chip’s video directed by Peter Serafinowicz, has a nerdy elegance that achieves the perfect balance of discomfort, confusion and nervous laughter.
1. The Arcade Fire: The Wilderness Downtown
A short film by Chris Milk paired with the innovative integration of Google maps makes this video, by far, number one on my list of music videos of the year. Why? Because this group of talented musicians went above and beyond the normal constraints of video. They used the technology available to them in the most personal and creative way I’ve seen to date with music videos. Bravo for continuing to push the envelope.
And my honorable mention of 2010:
Johnny Cash: Ain’t No Grave
Check out more on this project at www.thejohnnycashproject.com
What do you think of our top 10 picks of the year?
