ACL 2017 - The Year’s 10 Best Music Videos

A Closer Listen

Google “Best Music Videos 2017” and you’ll find a lot of love for Kendrick, Jay-Z and Björk.  But where does one go to find the instrumental stuff?  We’re on Vimeo daily, looking for the finest visuals, which we collect here for your viewing pleasure.  On this page, you’ll find flying, leaping, dancing, woodcutting, and animation.  There’s love, loss and even murder.  The tempos range from the slow to the swift, the images from the beautiful to the bizarre.  A few have been featured in our reviews, but many are new discoveries.  And now, please enjoy our selection of The Year’s 10 Best Music Videos!

High Aura’d ~ Black Grasshopper Music by High Aura’d Film by Jeremy Bible The amazing high-definition imagery was taken over Ohio, and represents a teaser for Jeremy Bible’s upcoming Human Savagery.  It also makes a perfect entry point to High Aura’s warm, fingerpicking No River Long Enough Doesn’t Contain a Bend (Debacle Records).  Viewers may just make a simultaneous surrender to the song and the sights.

Toposcape Music:  “Midnight” by Caravan Palace Google Earth Edit:  Adnaan Jiwa Toposcape was also filmed about the earth, but the song and video are polar opposites to those above.  The video contains over 4000 Google images sequenced and edited as a backdrop to a jazzy, upbeat dance track.  A personal pleasure is the similarity of the crop circles to a set of vinyl records.

You’re my music in this silence Director:  Erick Flores Garnelo Music:  the blakship, “You are my music in this silence” Only posted a few days ago, this video went straight to the front of the pack.  “You’re my music in this silence” relays a lot about silence, stillness, isolation and concentration.  Sometimes we are alone in a crowd; other times we are full when no one else is around.  Some of the techniques used here are new to us, and the editing is seamless.  It’s a late-year triumph.

SOLO feat. Mimi Elashiry ~ Oyster Director: Jesse Heath Starring: Mimi Elashiry Wardrobe Stylist: Nikki Grattan Original Score Composition, Production & Mix: Alex Parish / Adolescent Editor: Nick Rondeau @Arcade Edit Colorist: Greg Reece @The Mill Re-Recording Mixer: Ben Freer @Eleven Sound Sound Designer: Alex Parish / Adolescent Sound Designer: Ben Freer @Eleven Sound Tijuana Line Producer: Federico Fernandez Guerra PA: Adin Taylor Location Sound Recordings by: Nestor Aguilar Music Assistant Engineer: Duncan Fuller Music Master Engineer: Chris Mounter Recorded at Strongroom, London While watching, some may recall Don Hedley’s song, “All She Wants to Do Is Dance.”  But what to do when conditions are hard and studios are scarce?  Mimi Elashiry simply chooses another backdrop.  The video reflects its local community and is a testament to artistic dedication.

Luca D’Alberto ~ Wait for Me Director: Jem Talbot Production Company: Pinzutu Films The images are simple, and yet surreal.  Multiple stories are shared, some straightforward and others enigmatic.  It’s all about hands, from tender hold to fevered clutch and finally to surrendered drop.  The forward-leaning trajectory of the music makes a perfect companion.

Ad | Lacoste | Timeless Music:  Max Richter, “November” Director : Seb Edwards Agency : BETC Prod. : Wanda Superviseur VFX: Stéphane Allender Producteur VFX: Christophe Huchet, Xavier Questel Lead CG (Paris) : Vincent Coni Equipe 3D : Adam Tinning, André Monteiro, Jonathan Carrier, Olivier Lukaszczyk Flame: Stéphane Allender, Angus Wilson Coordination VFX: Nicolas Huguet Datalab: Chloé Charrier, Nicolas Daniel, Pauline Royo, Jonathan Cayssials The only ad in this year’s batch, “Timeless” makes a huge impact in less than 90 seconds.  This may not sell a lot of alligator shirts, but it definitely sells the idea of love at first sight.  But would you be willing to run across a moving train for an outside chance of finding a soulmate?

Com Truise ~ Propagation Directed By: Will Joines & Karrie Crouse Written By: Karrie Crouse & Will Joines Starring: Trieste Kelly Dunn With: Stephen O’Reilly Cinematographer: Zoë White Producer: Jonathan Figueroa Colorist: Josh Bohoskey / The Mill NY The spookiest selection on this year’s list introduces a Stepford Wife who is also eerily reminiscent of Ava from Ex Machina.  Those familiar with Tom King’s take on The Vision may find this a worthy twin.  Is this really what husbands want of their wives?  And what might their wives want in return?

WoodSwimmer (Bedtimes Music Video) Director:  Brett Foxwell Edit & Music:  Conor Grebel  Typography:  Rowan Ogden Who knew wood could flow like water?  In the hands of Brett Foxwell, it does.  He describes the work as a “tedious process,” but the results are sublime.  “WoodSwimmer” is the year’s most distinctive video, a viral sensation that justifies the time spent in production.

Max Cooper & Tom Hodge ~ Symmetry Director:  Kevin McGloughlin The first of two videos on our list from Max Cooper’s audio-visual Emergence project, “Symmetry” is the video we wanted to see way back when all we had was a still.  If videos could be friends, this one would probably hang out with “Toposcape” above, sharing its love of swift editing and a hyperactive pace.  The song and video are perfectly synched, and inspire immediate repeat views.

Max Cooper ~ Order from Chaos Director:  Maxime Causeret The rare video that both improves and enhances its source material, “Order from Chaos” amplifies the connection with rain and growth, while providing a wealth of color and movement.  The edit (half the length of the original track) retains all of the distinctive features with none of the repetition.

Richard Allen