There are many ways to get a music video right, and there are even more ways to get it wrong. You can capture the essence of the song with innovative visuals, a well-defined personality and a sense of humor, or you could have a traditional close-up shot of the band performing or have an overwrought narrative that doesn’t have anything to do with the source material. Because, somewhat surprisingly, damn-near everyone is making videos and major label artists are getting massive budgets to crank out mini-feature films, it can be tough to remember the diamonds in the oversaturated rough. These 10, no matter how many memes, tabloid headlines or other clips happened this year, stood out from the pack.
Click here to read Director Austin Vesely’s picks for his 3 favorite 2015 music videos.
10. Rozwell Kid, “Kangaroo Pocket” (dir. Geoff Hoskinson)
I’m not going to argue that this is technically one of the best videos of the year. It’s purposefully kitschy and corny and full of funny effects. However, nothing could have encapsulated Rozwell Kid’s weird and wacky personality more. It’s a perfect companion to the best song on “Too Shabby.”
9. Courtney Barnett, “Pedestrian at Best” (dir. Charlie Ford)
One of the major reasons Courtney Barnett became a breakout and Grammy-nominated story in 2015 is the warm heart and biting wit that permeates her clever songwriting. The Australian artist set a whimsical and funny tone to promote her excellent record “Sometimes I Sit and Think, and Sometimes I Just Sit” with a hilarious visual about a down-on-the-dumps clown. It may be a bit on-the-nose for the funny persona she takes on in her songwriting, but it fits just right.
8. Santah, “Here Are My Shells” (dir. Jack Whaley)
If this song isn’t a killer jam I don’t know what is, and coinciding with one of the best local singles of the year is an expertly shot and charming video. At a Wisconsin school the band blends both straightforward performance footage with Wes Anderson-style cuts to an awkward gym class. It’s enough to bring up horrible adolescent memories, but the track is strong enough to wash them all away.
7. Shamir, “Call It Off” (dir. Phillip Hodges)
Who says Muppets can’t be hip? With this incredible video Las Vegas singer Shamir becomes a surprisingly credible puppet to make for one of the most whimsical and colorful videos of the year. Combining for a perfect cocktail with the technicolor dance sheen of his debut album “Ratchet,” Shamir’s personality comes in clear focus with the eccentric clip. It’s an amazing primer to one of 2015’s most vivid worlds.
6. Drake, “Hotline Bling” (dir. Director X)
Considering the way the Internet went bonkers with memes and GIFs after this video’s release, I’d be remiss not to include this in the year-end wrap-up. While Adele’s flip-phone shenanigans in “Hello” certainly grabbed headlines, it’s Drake’s potentially purposefully dorky dance moves that nearly won the year. In my mind, the whole thesis of the clip is based off the fact that no one looks cool dancing to organ music (specially the 1972 sample of Timmy Thomas’ “Why Can’t We Live Together”). With the tennis racket and Halloween man spoofs that followed, it became one of the most shareable and memorable things from the entire year.
5. Justin Bieber, “Sorry” (Dance Video) (dir. Parris Goebel)
Music videos don’t need much. If you have a good choreographer and good crew of non-cookie cutter dancers, you don’t even need to see the artist singing the song. That’s exactly the charm of “Sorry.” a clip my parents are absolutely obsessed with. It’s easy to see why: The dancing is so infectious, and fun enough to match Skrillex’s superb, tropical-flavored beat.
4. Rihanna, “Bitch Better Have My Money” (dir. Rihanna, Megaforce)
Here’s a gaudy big-budget, multi-setting music video that works. Spoiler: Rihanna gets her money and it’s from Mads Mikkelsen, who isn’t the only surprising celebrity cameo in the clip.
3. A$AP Rocky, “L.$.D.” (dir. Dexter Navey, A$AP Rocky)
With a song title like “L.$.D” you’d be right to guess its video makes it easy to assign adjectives like “trippy” and “psychedelic.” It might seem like it’s too unsubtle at first, but the masterful and fluid camerawork, along with the wavy colors, makes this one of the most deserved Grammy noms this year. Plus, the “Excuse Me” segue in the middle of the clip is simply inspired.
2. Kendrick Lamar, “Alright” (dir. Colin Tilley)
Lamar’s most important song off “To Pimp A Butterfly” got its own black-and-white opera, and its striking portrayals of police violence and his neighborhood makes this both one of the year’s most beautiful-looking clips and one of the most thought-provoking. It’s an intense seven minutes, and you won’t stop thinking about it for a while.
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1. Donnie Trumpet and the Social Experiment, “Sunday Candy” (dir. Austin Vesely)
This is a damn-near-perfect video. The impeccable Ian Eastwood-choreography; the one-shot brilliance of Austin Vesely’s direction; the 100 percent earnest and heartfelt execution of the most charming high school play from Chance the Rapper, Donnie Trumpet, the Social Experiment, Jamila Woods, D.Low and more. It’s videos like this that make me proud and honored to cover Chicago music in all its collaborative spirit. With “Surf” leading the pack for all music this year, this has been Chicago’s and Savemoney’s year.
[email protected], @joshhterry
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