MJ had a huge role to play in the homogenisation of the male pop star market which is filled with artists who try an emulate him in one way or another. The Weeknd can be the closest to him vocally, and this influence continues in the visuals for the Starboy music video. The opening music recalls Thriller, Abel dancing down a dimly lit corridor which is illuminated by a sole object reminds us of Billie Jean. The whole video seems to be Abel recognising his place in the centre of pop music, and the way the empty house frames his body gives a sense of vacuity. However, this isn't something that depresses. Rather, Abel is playing a burglar here, though we understand he has no need for such things. Instead, it shows that he's literally here for the ride, to cause trouble and dance.
09 WORK
RIHANNA FT DRAKE
This two-for-the-price-of-one (no, we're not talking Jay and Samsung deals now) video probably illustrates the sheer lack of direction Rihanna had prior to releasing ANTi, but in the context of work it manages to say something more. Work is a song about exhaustion, and the way the videos play after the other is a meta exploration of the ubiquity of Rihanna's songs once they're released; we hear them over and over. Rihanna is moody about this, she's tired, we see as she sways idly at the back of a club and in a beautifully lit sitting room. The key here is that she remains dancing throughout, something which the song and its infectious beat permit.
08 KILL V MAIM
GRIMES
If we were to view Grimes and her explosive discography as having one clear narrative, it would probably be that of taking back control. Oblivion - probably her absolute peak both musically and visually - is an obvious example of this, and, for me, Art Angels continues this narrative of control in a creative sense. Grimes is an indie pop artist who operates in this video on a mainstream level. The creativity is abundant and the narrative of the song is allowed to explode in vivid technicolor. Central to all the chaos remains Grimes throughout, presenting this vision as her own.
07 LAZARUS
DAVID BOWIE
For an artist who has spent his career curating artistic personalities and killing them off routinely, Lazarus poses the question as to what happens when that personality is, in fact, the artist himself. The video here is haunting, we see Bowie in bed - nodding to his illness - and the way he frantically writes, as if time is running out. By the end of the video when Bowie retreats back into the darkened wardrobe, the audience fully understands what has happened. Unlike the biblical Lazarus of which the song speaks, we equally understand that the wardrobe won't reopen revealing a new incarnation of Bowie. Instead, it would give birth to hundreds of critiques and analyses, proving that the art can be resurrected even if the artist cannot.
06 BURN THE WITCH
RADIOHEAD
Radiohead are often praised for their prophetic portrayals of the future, the worlds dominated by the internet and technology in OK Computer and Kid A. The music video for Burn The Witch somewhat unfortunately fell into this story, its pertinence being rendered all the more important for what happened during world politics in 2016. Unlike its predecessors in OK Computer, Burn The Witch is a lot less Orwellian and a lot more devastatingly real for it. The innocuous nature of the stop motion and the idyllic town lull the viewer into a sense of security which, by the end of the video, is dismantled by the growing corruption we see in the town. It speaks on a profound level as to how oppression actually operates: it isn't something which happens overnight, but rather a vicious undercurrent which rises slowly while everyone remains wistfully ignorant.
Ugh, just like last year the write-ups are top notch, so profound and well-written. As for the vids, Lazarus and Burn the Witch were my 2k16 faves, along with Formation, so I hope to see the latter in top 5 <3
Grimes' pandering to gay nerds is TOO much for me. She knows me
Quote:
Originally posted by Vilppu
Ugh, just like last year the write-ups are top notch, so profound and well-written. As for the vids, Lazarus and Burn the Witch were my 2k16 faves, along with Formation, so I hope to see the latter in top 5 <3
Quote:
Originally posted by K$Ellie
Kill V Maim tho I'm so glad I got into Grimes this year
The story of Psychopomp is a fascinating one of artistic renewal. Zauner, the principal songwriter, had returned to a 9-5 job following the death of her mother, and had almost abandoned her musical career. Psychopomp managed to become the closure Zauner needed, liberating her from grief. The video for Everybody Wants To Love You is as euphoric as the song itself. We see Zauner enjoying and experiencing life, but poignantly she wears her mother's wedding dress, serving a reminder that life exists to be celebrated, for both the living and the dead.
04 NIKES
FRANK OCEAN
For a live performance of Thinkin Bout You on SNL a few years ago, Frank Ocean sat surrounded by retro arcade machines, their screens flickering idly in the background. Frank Ocean's style has always been about these fleeting, flickering images, and the way one can cultivate a sense of self in today's world. The video for Nikes, much like the parent song, isn't coherent. It moves between different images, emotions, and tragedy when we see Frank holding a photo of Trayvon Martin, remarking on their similarities. The whole video plays like a series of fleeting thoughts, indicating that we are finally seeing the mind of Frank Ocean, not just listening to it.
03 FADE
KANYE WEST
Although Kanye has cultivated a mass following and widespread acclaim based on his own persona, The Life of Pablo illustrated the ultimate flaws that would begin to infect Kanye's work when he allowed his persona to overshadow the art. While Famous was provocative, Fade felt provocative in a much more organic, it-gets-the-people-going kind of way. The video is sexy, the dancing is hypnotic, the ending is cryptic, but - most importantly - the art is central.
02 CRANES IN THE SKY
SOLANGE
Cranes feels like such a beautiful exhalation of air, a sigh of relief and a clear state of mind. Solange frames herself with wide open spaces and holds herself in a statuesque way that give her space to breathe, indicating her inner peace and control. Cranes' focus on these peaceful shots - and not some contrived way to commodify happiness as a simple narrative - is really what makes it realistic and true. The stillness is almost antithetical to the dynamic action of her sister's work, but there's enough room at the table for both.
01 FORMATION
BEYONCÉ
When Beyoncé first released this video back in February, amongst the awe of its stunning images and the fawning over Blue's cameo, one of the main reactions to this video (and its following Superbowl Performance, for that matter) was: "Beyoncé is black?"
This dumbfounding reaction speaks a lot less of Beyoncé than it does the society in which we live, wherein cultures are assimilated, erased and marginalised to the point where emphasis needs to be placed on them in order to assert their own damn existence. Formation, and the parent Lemonade film, are really about the reclamation of the self within a society that does everything but permit autonomy to people of your colour and gender. Beyoncé flaunts her southern origins, she makes places emphasis on images of black feminism and queerness, she highlights police brutality. To even place this on a list of music videos is an understatement in itself, when Formation and Lemonade became one of 2016's most important political dialogues.
