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Our Top 10 Music Videos of 2011

Our obsession with the medium of music videos remains as strong as its ever been, and we've done our best to bring as many of the best of the newest releases to you in the digital pages of Rocks Off over the course of the year. We're pleased to round up the cream of the crop as we did this time last year, so please put your hands together for proof that even though MTV is dead as a doornail, the internet is keeping music videos alive and well.

10. Erland and the Carnival, "Map of an Englishman"

One of the many great music videos brought to our attention by Mick Cullen and his team at Subterranean Radio, Erland and the Carnival's "Map of an Englishman" is an imaginative journey into the sum and substance of man himself. Shot with some brilliant black and white photography and amazing animation it perfectly matches the empty, haunting tone of the song.

09. Dudely Jones, "DJ Modesty"

For our money, Evan Cassidy of the Dudely Jones Comedy Tribe is the hardest working comedy rapper in America today. His videos are consistently high quality, and it was very difficult to pick just one t feature this year. In the end, a guy crowing about his humility was just too much irony to pass up.

08. The Town Monster, "Bela Lugosi"

What "Bela Lugosi" lacks in professional filmmaking techniques it more than makes up for in a healthy dose of unhealthy sex and violence. We get a lot of music videos with deep plots and introspective artist ideals. This is not one of them. The Town Monster keeps it nice and R-rated, just how we like it.

07. O'Death, "Bugs"

O'Death almost beat out Grinderman for creepiest video with "Bugs," but still fell just short. You still have a hell of a Southern Gothic tune and a grainy, Wicker Man-esque look into some sort of backwoods paganism, and just because you can't out-creepy Nick Cave doesn't mean that you're not still extremely freakin' creepy.

06. Rural Alberta Advantage, "Muscle Relaxants"

Of all the videos we got from Mick Cullen over the course of 2011 this was our favorite. The underwater photography is so stellar and amazing that we refused to believe it had been shot in a swimming pool. It's just so wonderfully abyssal.

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Jef Rouner (not cis, he/him) is a contributing writer who covers politics, pop culture, social justice, video games, and online behavior. He is often a professional annoyance to the ignorant and hurtful.
Contact: Jef Rouner