9. It Girl – Pharrell
Pharrell made a splash with his and I thought there was no hope for that man until I saw this geeky yet artsy ode to Japanese video games. With pixelated visuals intermingled with Carmen Sandiego-esque graphics, standard Japanimation styles, and even a sleek 8-bit arcade sequence, this video is adorable, yet admirable, and quite mesmerizing due to its color and style variation coupled with the flow of visuals that aren’t too structured, but aren’t too abstract in their compilation, either.
8. Mortuary Mary – May Day ft. Anjuli Stars
In this weird video, claymation takes on the preternatural creatures in the guise of annoying creepers who can’t seem to leave ‘Mary’ alone. The visual storytelling is just as effective without the audio – but, hand in hand, they make for a better experience. What makes it a lot more interesting than, say, a typical artist who may just emulate real life with animated overlay, is the added effects such as the dropping of eyes into drinks and detachable appendages.
7. All Caps – Madvillian
You’ve probably heard this Madvillian track on The Boondocks during the “Let’s Nab Oprah” episode. The video is cleverly animated and directed, with a style modeled after the Silver Age comics, by a certain James Reitano.
6. Le Peuple De l’Herbe – Parler le Francas
This French band has been making music since the late 90s and have since recently began to make songs catered to English-speakers. Parler le Francas, or “Speak French,” is a beautifully drawn depiction of the underclass being undermined by the implementation of machinery and greed, growing frustrated, and eventually destroying the spectacles that the greedy (depicted as pigs) have created. If you like their style or their music, check out another dope video, “,” where they recreate concert and space scenes with blocks, and “” which is made entirely of plastic things like spoons, forks, and cups, and shot in stop-motion style (it is GREAT) (I, too, had to consult the lyrics page, and, thanks to Google’s translate feature, I can say I vouch for this band completely).
5. House of Flying Daggers – Raekwon ft. Inspectah Deck, GZA, Method Man, and Ghostface Killah
This 2009 release graphically embodies the quintessential Wu themes, showcasing the artists in their best martial art forms and giving us a front seat as we watch them slaughter their opponents lyrically as well as visually.
