Welcome back to our presentation of the best underrecognized music videos of the year. Today’s lineup comes with some trigger warnings for sex and violence, so be advised. We have stop-motion madness, our annual check in with metal’s weirdest woman, and one wild weather report. Enjoy!
40. “Happy Halloween,” Forget Me Nots
Formerly a local group now stationed into Austin, Forget Me Nots have a short but fun take on the vampire mythology. The group builds a coven of randos to live the night life, mixing vampiric dignity with pure Texas whatever. It’s a quick but good one.
39. “Walking in the Rain,” Toro y Moi
The idea behind “Walking in the Rain” is so simple but so perfectly executed that it stands out. Toro plays a journalist reporting live from the middle of the storm, his lyrics appearing as a chyron below him. He leans in all the way on the bit, even dangling sideways in a hurricane wind at the end.
38. “Alouette,” Oracles Sisters
How can a three-minute temper tantrum be so compelling? Charlie Rowe plays an actor who didn’t get a part in this very video, and then proceeds to run through his entire dramatic repertoire in an increasingly manic state. It’s beautiful the way that woman who climbed on top of a truck and danced naked on Highway 290 was beautiful.
37. “A Martyr Left Behind/No Lamb Was Lost,” Counterparts
This double feature is pure horror (no animals were harmed in the making of the film). Director Eric Richter delivers grindhouse explosion of gore and unsettling imagery matched admirably by the screeching metal of Counterparts.
36. “Battle Hymn of the Republic,” The Great Kat
Once a year, we check in on the frothing metal maniac that is The Great Kat to see what classical and traditional songs she’s put through the shredder. Being an election year, she offers this version of “Battle Hymn of the Republic” in her trademark horny night terror style. Everyone who asks me what’s happening in America will be getting this link sent in response for the next four years. E pluribus stupor, friends.
35. “Run It,” clipping.
Daveed Diggs drops his usual horror-style music videos for something more frantic. Two spies follow him throughout various locations, all of which come at break-neck pace in a non-stop flood of images. What it lacks in the emotional punch of previous clipping. videos it makes up for in energy.
34. “Avalon,” Lacrimosa
Swiss metal band Lacrimosa is as over-the-top dramatic as their name would suggest, but it’s still a macabre good time. Tilo Wolff and Anne Nurmi vamp around a foreboding castle while angels dance around and there is an owl for some reason. It’s not the most narrative heavy music video, but the vibes are off the chart.
33. “Holy, Holy,” Geordi Greep
This video feels like it was grown in the sticky cracks between Fatboy Slim and Leonard Cohen. Geordi Greep dances enthusiastically in between rounds of bowling while sipping a drink and instructing a sex worker on how she needs to feed his delusion. Then the whole thing spirals into twisted shots of a snooker table as Greep’s requests get increasingly unhinged. There’s no denying the viewer has been on a journey afterwards.
32. “Lady Parts and Mannequins,” mehro
Stop motion automatically makes any music video cooler, and director Diane Lindo is phenomenal at her craft. “Lady Parts and Mannequins” is four straight minutes of doll sex and oddly violent fruit dissection. It looks like the nightmare of a sexually frustrated puppeteer, and I mean that as a compliment. Mehro matches the mood perfectly with a full throttle banger that hits the ground running and never stops.
31. “Pretend,” The Plot in You
This video is two-and-a-half-minutes of a person not drowning. I know that technically describes most videos, but here we simply see someone slowly let out all their air while in a bathtub with silver dollars on their eyes. Despite its serenity and lack of motion, it’s on of the most disturbing music videos I have ever seen. Let’s take a break and be back tomorrow with more music videos.
This article appears in Jan 1 – Dec 31, 2024.
