Hall of Awesome: The Top 5 Music Videos of 2009

I had a hard time narrowing down my list of favorite music videos for this year to just five. Also, I decided I was sick of dealing with embedding issues with YouTube, so for this list, I turned to my new favorite video provided, Vimeo, for this playlist of clips, which are as follows:

5. Coldplay, "Life in Technicolor II" (dir. Dougal Wilson)
No stranger to the Hall of Awesome, Dougal Wilson returns with a decidedly more lighthearted video featuring an overly elaborate Coldplay puppet show, ending with one of the funnier gags I've seen in music videos this year.

4. Justice + Lenny Kravitz, "Let Love Rule" (dir. Keith Schofield)
I've already waxed poetic about the awesomeness of director Keith Schofield, but I can't stress it enough: the guy knows his shit. Not only did he put out a killer Charlotte Gainsbourg/Beck video a month ago, he made this glorious gem pairing '80s kitsch with end credits meta madness.
(UPDATE: Now available with director commentary!)

3. Bodies of Water, "Under the Pines" (dir. Andy Bruntel)
This video made an appearance in my annual Scary Music Videos list, and it reappears here for two reasons. One, the video hasn't been making a lot of lists considering it came out all the way back in January, and so most people have forgotten about it. Second, every element of this video, from production design to costumes to the aged look of the film contribute to the eerie Grimm fairytale vibe of its story. It's a story that seems utterly ridiculous on paper, but works as an effective visual companion to the propulsive song it's set to.

2. Ramona Falls, "I Say Fever" (dir. Stefan Nadelman)
Oh. My. God. Such a great video. Scary, gorgeous to watch, perfect pairing of song and visuals. So many things I could say about this clip, but it really speaks for itself.

1. U2, "I'll Go Crazy If I Don't Go Crazy Tonight" (dir. David O'Reilly)
First, an explanation. I don't like this song. Musically, it's pretty mediocre, a desperate revival of U2's standard pompous stadium rock. Lyrically, it's abysmal, with Bono stumbling through lines like "Every beauty needs to go out with an idiot" as if he decided to scribble them down at the last minute and not bother asking anyone if they were good or not. Thankfully, animator and Best Short Film of 2009 shoo-in David O'Reilly was brought in to direct a video and it more than makes up for U2's lax songwriting. In fact, it almost works to the video's advantage that the song is so forgettable, because it makes the visuals that much easier to pay attention to.



Honorable Mention:
Bob Dylan, "Beyond Here Lies Nothing" (dir. Nash Edgarton)
Charlotte Gainsbourg and Beck, "Heaven Can Wait" (dir. Keith Schofield)
Depeche Mode, "Wrong" (dir. Patrick Daughters)
Fever Ray, "If I Had a Heart" (dir. Andreas Nilsson)
Matt & Kim, "Lessons Learned" (dir. Taylor Cohen and Otto Arsenault)
N.A.S.A. feat. Sizzla, Amanda Blank and Lovefoxxx, "A Volta" (dir. Logan)
They Might Be Giants, "Meet the Elements" (dir. Feel Good Anyway)
UNKLE, "Heaven" (dir. Spike Jonze and Ty Evans)