13 December 2016

These were the best music videos of 2016

Not "Bad Blood" by Taylor Swift.

[M]usic videos exist because our favourite songs should be enjoyed through the eyes as well as the ears. That’s why Macklemore’s Thrift Shop has now surpassed one billion (!) views on Youtube. But that was two years ago, in 2016 anything less than an entirely immersive 360° experience feels out of step. We’ve compiled the best from the year in the list below, you’ll find politics, aesthetics, DeepDream, J-Pop, minimalist beachside vibes and Naomi Campbell. In retrospect it was a good year for the music video, what did you think was best?

NADIA ROSE – SKWOD

There was a time when “choreographed lip syncing” was the literal apex of modern music videos. Billie Piper did it once in the 90s and everybody went nuts for it. Thankfully, that’s buried now beneath a semi-reputable acting career but the winning formula remains the same. Maybe the best, if not the most memorable music video of 2016 is from UK rapper Nadia Rose who takes slick choreography to an unparalleled level in her 2016 banger “Skwod”. There’s nothing to not like about Nadia Rose and her 25+ girl gang all decked out in Adidas killing it in one take down Surrey Street in Croydon. Added bonus is that you notice something different every time you watch it and you will definitely notice more of Nadia Rose in 2017 too. Her name’s all over it.

David Bowie – Lazarus

Released several days before his death, “Lazarus” was both eerie and beautiful in equal message. Beginning with Bowie in a hospital bed uttering the words “look up here I’m in heaven” and finishing with him stepping back into a dark closet, the video was meant as a parting gift for fans, and in true Bowie form ensured that, even in death, he was still one of music’s great geniuses. RIP.

Kanye West – Fade

“Fade”, the third single from The Life Of Pablo was one of Kanye’s less contentious music videos this year, but it was certainly his strongest in terms of visuals. Nude waxworks of Donald Trump were just too grossly prophetic to warrant commenting on. This flashdance-esque short, directed by Eli Russell Linnetz was premiered at the MTV VMAs, which as history tells us, is Kanye’s favourite platform to announce something, outrage his peers or alienate his fans. Either way, it cast a worldwide lens on Teyana Taylor; recording artist, designer, actress, fashion model and Beyonce’s former choreographer – who slays throughout before being turned into a anthropomorphic lioness whilst showering with her husband. Shout out to the wavy typography at the beginning too, much better than the faux-gothic font used on all the Pablo Merch.

Solange – Cranes In The Sky

Dropped together with ‘Don’t Touch My Hair’, Solange Knowles’ ‘Cranes in the Sky’ is one screenshot-worthy video, each scene as aesthetically pleasing as the next. The purpose, though, is even more than just the exquisite avant-garde styling, as it envelops all the album celebrates of the black experience, as she believes the songs are “meant to provoke healing”. A powerful performance with just as moving visuals and choreography, a true honouring of the black body and a highlight of the music scene for 2016.

M.I.A. – Borders

Directed by M.I.A. herself and with a cast of street-cast South Indian citizens, the video rawly tackles the issue of the European migrant crisis, an evidently personal issue for the singer as a former Sri Lankan refugee. Though technically released in 2015 on Apple Music, it wasn’t available to the masses on YouTube until earlier this year, and the political statement is evermore important now when immigration is arguably an even tougher topic in the ‘Post-Truth’ Trump world. 

ANOHNI – DRONE BOMB ME

An artist with a strong political message, Anohni once again gave us chills by using the faceless nature of drone bombing as a premise for “Drone Bomb Me”. Written from the perspective of a girl who has lost her family to dropped bombs, the video, directed by Nail and art directed by Givenchy’s Riccardo Tisci, features Naomi Campbell lip syncing the words while tears stream from her eyes. Heartbreaking and poignant, this video is one of the rare artistic gems from an otherwise wretched year. 

GRIMES – KILL VS MAIM

Another innovative self-directed music video from Claire Boucher, AKA Grimes, comes in the form of a video game-esque cyberpunk chaotic world creating a supposed amalgamation of the ‘Godfather’ and ‘Twilight’, according to Grimes herself, who declared that it’s “probably my favourite song I’ve ever made”. Featuring neon-lit roads of an Akira cityscape, with a mob of vampires in a Toronto subway station, and comic pop-art illustrations flashing around the singer, its an edgy video that flawlessly suits the horror art pop track of her fourth album ‘Art Angels’. Not to be missed. 

KYARY PAMYU PAMYU

Kyary Pamyu Pamyu is one of the biggest J-Pop stars in the world, and given the scale of J-Pop right now, this makes her pretty big deal. The video for Sai & Co has everything but the kitchen sink and it’s kawaii AF too. Desperate for an insight in the mind of whoever could make something with as much madness as the video above we caught up with Kyary to become friends with her back in the summer. Key highlight: animatronic, anthropomorphic strawberries.

Radiohead – Daydreaming 

Directed by Paul Thomas Anderson “Daydreaming” is a video feat that allows the viewers to follow Thom Yorke through a series doors leading to various buildings – from hospital to abandoned car park to forest and eventually a snow-capped mountain, as he searches for something or someone that he seemingly never finds. The feeling of being lost is central the video, perhaps a meditation on the the album’s inspiration – the breakdown of York’s 23 year relationship. Either way it’s one that we couldn’t get out of our minds upon its release back in May. Also hard to forget about the Rag & Bone Jacket and Rick Owens trainers too. 

HAUNT – CRAVE

If you’re good enough at directing music videos all you really need is a beautiful person smoking a cigarette by the beach. Victor Pakpour films Gabriella Bechtel as she smokes in front of some waves and it’s just the most moving, intoxicating, coherent four and a half minutes we’ve ever seen. And it’s all in one take.

Beyoncé – FOrmation

It’s hard to know to begin with Beyonce’s visual output this year, as it was and will be remembered as a culturally historical moment for both POC, WOC and the Beyhivé. The nods to Hurricane Katrina, antebellum and Louisiana Creole culture, police brutality, racism and black pride set the visual tone for Lemonade which has become synonymous with Beyonce’s aesthetic and sonic delivery ever since. As a cherry on top there’s also Blue Ivy sporting a beautiful natural relaxed hairstyle.

A$AP MOB – Yamborghini High

In true A$AP Mob style, the whole music video for ‘Yamborghini High’ is one psychedelic trip with technicolour glitches yet with an underlying intimacy, as this one pays homage to the late A$AP Yams, opening with his real mum (Tatianna Paulino) turning on the tv to the Harlem collective. Flashing between gif-like scenes of pink forests to cruising Lamborghinis to a green screen mansion, the raucous chaotic world the mob has created is an apt tribute to Yams whose figure enters on no other than a winged unicorn. Wild and decadent but unapologetically so, we can’t wait to see what 2017 holds for A$AP Mob.

Mykki Blanco – Loner

Having been released under a month ago, we’re still not over the pushed boundaries of Mykki Blanco’s video: controversially produced by Pornhub, in collaboration with pastel-cutesy fashion brand NicoPanda, its safe to say this video is a mash-up of influences, which seems to be exactly the point. ‘Loner’ points out how ever-present, addictive and isolating technology is, but shows Mykki as “both the loner and supplier”, a fresh take for the ever-blamed young generation.