Hall of Awesome: Best Music Videos of 2007

Oh my God, is it already that time again? I apologize for my lack of posting towards the end of the year. I have been hard at work on not one, but two short films, which will hopefully be shown at various festivals around mid-2008. With that said, I'd like to begin this year's Hall of Awesome by showcasing some of my favorite music videos.

5. The Strokes, "You Only Live Once" (dir. Warren Fu)

Even though The Strokes had already released a video for the lead track off their last LP, 2006's First Impressions of Earth, I guess they felt it could've used a rewrite. So, they invited director Warren Fu to deliver a CGI-laden, 2001: A Space Odyssey referencing mini-movie.

4. Bat for Lashes, "What's a Girl to Do?" (dir. Dougal Wilson)

What is it about guys in animal masks that creep me out? Dougal Wilson turns out a well-choreographed bike ride with English singer/songwriter Natasha Khan that is anything but cute and cuddly.

3. Grizzly Bear, "Knife" (dir. Encyclopedia Pictura)

The boldly experimental production group Encyclopedia Pictura turned out this daring and bizarre little music video, perfectly complementing the daring and bizarre music of Grizzly Bear. I'd make a pun about studying geology "in-depth," but that kind of humor is below me.

2. Feist, "1234" (dir. Patrick Daughters)

This is one of those videos that you watch and it makes you end up with a smile on your face. I was surprised to learn that the whole thing was done in one take with no computer trickery to mask the other performers. There's a really cool making-of where you can see most of the single take from different angles.

1. Mute Math, "Typical" (dir. Israel Anthem)

Yes, I know the backwards thing has been done before, but Mute Math does the backwards thing really well and don't stop with the cool effects. This is also the first time I've really been impressed with the lead singer's lip-syncing to the backwards version of the song. Check the bizarre live version of this video on Jimmy Kimmel Live!

Strokes Unveil New Video for "You Only Live Once"

I had been somewhat unimpressed with the newer videos by the Strokes. For their latest album, 2006's First Impressions of Earth, they opted to leave Roman Coppola, who had directed the videos for their seminal hit "Last Nite," as well as "Hard to Explain" and the Tron-inspired "12:51". Unfortunately, not even the inclusion of David Cross could save the surprisingly bland video for First Impressions single "Juicebox." Follow-up videos for "Heart in a Cage" and "You Only Live Once" were also decidedly uninteresting. Fortunately, the Strokes have bounced back with this new, alternate video for "You Only Live Once," directed by Warren Fu. The video is drenched in 2001: A Space Odyssey references (always a good thing in my book), and it also harkens back to their video for the single "The End Has No End," which was also very 2001-esque. Enjoy!

UPDATE: I got tired of this video automatically starting every time I opened up my blog. You can view the video here.