Starting off my top lists of the year are my top five favorite music videos. While it is hard to quantify videos, these have been some of my favorite videos of the year.
5. Joey Bada$$ (Feat. Capital STEEZ) - "Survival Tactics"
A group that captures the Wu Tang spirit more than other in the early part of the decade is PRO ERA. Grainy videos and a list of talented emcees encapsulate all the videos from the outstanding 1999 mix-tape from Joey Bad$$. This collective has a considerably even skill set when compared to groups such as Odd Future or A$AP Mob. Joey Bada$$, the 17 year old Brooklynite, has created quite a following in 2012 and this is a prime reason as to why.
4. JJ DOOM - "Guv'nor"
Daniel Dumile (also known as MF DOOM, or simply DOOM) debuted his new musical venture this year. JJ DOOM, a collaboration with Jneiro Jarel, is an icy electronic outing. Sonically, it vast change from The Mouse and the Mask or Madvillainy. MF DOOM has proven time and time again that he does not like to repeat himself. The video for "Guv'nor" is a disorienting, split screened piece of art. Maybe this is commentary on DOOM's schizophrenic, villainous nature or maybe it's just a well done video. I'm not sure. But I do know this one of my favorites.
3. Passion Pit - "Constant Conversations"
Meshing the elegance of The Godfather with F. Scot Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby, the video for "Constant Conversations" is a timeless, cinematic triumph. The only video on this list with an estimated budget, it proves that was money well spent. Highly sexual as well as stylized, this lush period piece is beautifully complemented by Passion Pit's standout from their sophomore full-length, Gossamer.
2. Death Grips - "Double Helix"
The number two spot goes to the final video from their major label debut, The Money Store. This terrifying video proves that there is no need for a big budget, just an innovative concept. MC Ride creeping up to the camera with "check surroundings for safety" or his pelvic thrusts at the car are both irrepressibly unsettling.
1. Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti - "Only in My Dreams"
From the second "Only in My Dreams" pops on screen, we are visited with a bomb of VHS nostalgia. Ariel is thrown out of his girlfriend's room (who is actually his ex lover in real life. Fun fact!) and goes on a voyage of womanizing. In the song "Symphony of the Nymph" he said it best: "My name is Ariel and I'm a nymph!" The climax of the video is the best moment of any video in recent memory. I don't want to ruin it, but it is absolutely hilarious and essentially a success story (even if it is only in his dreams). If this screenshot doesn't give you enough reasons to watch it, hopefully this description does.
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