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Year's Best: OKP's Top 14 Music Videos Of 2014
Year's Best: OKP's Top 14 Music Videos Of 2014

Year's Best: OKP's Top 14 Music Videos Of 2014

Lenny Kravitz, Grace Jones, Lauryn Hill, Lion Babe, Thundercat, SZA & More Rock The Afropunk Festival 2015 in Brooklyn, NY.

We already covered the 14 Best LPs and 14 Best Songs of 2014, but somehow the 14 Best Videos of 2014 slipped by us--almost!--without proper recognition. That would have been a criminal oversight in what turned out to be a surprisingly strong year for the music video format, in spite of being a terrible year for music overall (quality may be subjective, but record sales sucked objectively last year). 2014 was characterized by a return of innovative choreography and animation--two artforms which both drive and thrive off the market for music videos--and in at least one case (Mark Ronson x Bruno Mars' "Uptown Funk") the elaborate choreography was matched in quality by the cinematography, costume, cars, cameras, dolly-work and location...in a word, budget. 2014 also saw the emergence of a bonafide Video Star. We're talking, of course, about FKA Twigs, an ex-video girl with a hit titled "Video Girl" and an arresting physical presence onscreen; an artist whose persona and mode of expression are so perfectly suited to the form you would think the year was 1980 and her last name was Ciccione, an iconoclast getting ready to decapitate 2014 equivalent The Buggles with her alien-made katana.

The true stars of the video form however, are the directors, so while the rest of the world is paying attention to the Oscar nominations announced today, we are gonna run down our own mini-Oscars/Video Music Awards; the Top 14 Videos of 2014. In fact, if the careers of Spike Jonz and Michel Gondry are any indication, this crop of video directors will be on the Oscar list in about 5 years time anyway. With that in mind, remember these names: Hiro Murai, Simon Benjamin, Kahlil Joseph, Terence Nance, Joel Kefali, Cameron Duddy, Joe Baughman, Fons Schneiden, Nabil Elderkin, Andrew Donoho and Gia Coppola. And click through to enjoy the 14 Best Videos of 2014...

1. Flying Lotus f. Kendrick Lamar - "Never Catch Me"  [dir. Hiro Murai]

Director Hiro Murai applies a deft hand to illustrate the imminent triumph of the life force as told by Flying Lotus’ “Never Catch Me” and projected through the lens of pure joy.  Harnessing the bottomless energy and fearless curiosity summed by the term 'child-like wonder', Murai creates an impressive clip that shakes the departed from the darkness shrouding a somber moment of grief to capture the magic of flight and the resilience of the spirit, as two children dance - matching the frenetic pace of Kendrick Lamar’s delivery - before driving off into the sunset.  While FlyLo’s latest project is titled You’re Dead, the video for “Never Catch Me” falls directly in line with N.E.R.D’s “No One Ever Really Dies” mantra and suggests that in the end we are all much bigger than our bodies, our boxes and our biggest, most persistent fears.  Those who truly believe in the ability to transcend - no matter the plane of existence - will always be free.  In the end, that freedom - metaphysical, philosophical or creative - is what lies at the root of Flying Lotus’ catalog and makes his work as singular as it is seismic.  Hiro Murai should be commended for his staggering ability to interpret and elevate it. - Karas Lamb

2. Taylor McFerrin f. Nai Palm - "The Antidote" [dir. Simon Benjamin]

Animator Simon Benjamin pushes “The Antidote” - the trippy atmospheric standout from Taylor McFerrin’s Early Riser LP - to the limit with a shape-shifting video.  Simple line drawings bloom to reveal snapshots of McFerrin’s everyday life, then unfold into peeks at the musical universe lurking just beyond each door or - not so surprisingly - beneath his skin.  Forward and emotionally raw, the clip for the track featuring Nai Palm of Hiatus Kaiyote finds Benjamin building avenues and awakenings from meandering lines and other abstractions that bend seamlessly into the groove of Thundercat’s mind-melting bass vamps and the smoky cool of her statements.  All of these bits and pieces and doodles combine to tell the story of where McFerrin has been; many fans and media outlets questioned what the musician/producer was up to prior to the release of his full-length Brainfeeder debut.  More importantly, however, Simon infuses each frame with the promise of possibility, carefully fashioning each illustration so that its lack of completion encourages the eye to move past the obvious identity of each image to behold the shape of things to come.  That open ended approach is most effective as fans - and maybe even McFerrin himself - are ultimately more concerned with where he intends to go.  If his state of consciousness at the end of the footage is any indication, there is no place else to go but up. - Karas Lamb

3. FKA twigs - "Video Girl" [dir. Kahlil Joseph]

If FKA Twigs was born to revitalize the music video, Kahlil Joseph (who's been honored on this list in past years--not to mention at Sundance) proves to be her ideal collaborator in subverting its most dominant tropes on the name-says-it-all anthem "Video Girl." The track, drawing from Twigs' very brief real-life career as a dancer in videos, does not turn the music video's long history of objectifying women on its head so much as turn it on its side--and then the video treatment gags it and straps it to a gurney. Re-imagining the video girl-to-male gaze relationship in a sort of shock corridor/Arkham asylum scenario (with FemDom-y overtones that are far more scary than sexy) Joseph abandons the , oversaturated color and use of water that have become his calling card for a black and white aesthetic that draws on the vocabulary of post-video horror movies (The Ring, Saw I-XVIII, et al.). Though far more interested in beautiful photography than special effects per se, the images of a be-grilled and bared teeth bleeding black sepsis and Twigs twerking demonically in the corner of a padded cell--moving with stilted, broken-puppet dance moves that recall Thandie Newton's physical transformation in Beloved far more than any music video dance sequence--are among the most terrifying images we've seen all year. - Eddie STATS

4. Tune-Yards - "Water Fountain" [dir. Joel Kefali]

A clear case of a Song-of-The-Year contender that was recast by a brilliant video, Tune-Yards' "Water Fountain" draws clearly on a visual tradition that includes Pee-Wee's Playhouse (note the animated, potentially man-eating, sofa),  B-52s videos and Laurie Anderson's video experimentation and performance art. In other words, it is about as perfect a visual analog of Tune-Yards' sound as you could ask for; bright, fierce electro-acoustic pop that is clearly the inheritor of a certain 1980s clash of music and sound art (think the Talking Heads and Bobby McFerrin) even if its teeth come from a very contemporary sound closer in rebel spirit to Santigold and M.I.A.

Also like Merrill Garbus' sonic creations, director Joel Kefali's visual is packed with throw-away genius, creating multiple, disorientingly brilliant set-pieces--a furry one-eyed monster straight out of Yo Gabba Gabba, a multi-armed spider puppet, a basketball playing rabbit skeleton, Merril herself in animated hipster TV shades that broadcast cartoon static--and then cutting between them at an increasingly frenzied pace that mirrors the songs lyrics and the overall Tune-Yards' feel of a creative orphan at play in the empty fields left by late capitalism:

No water in the water fountain / No phone in the phone booth /And you say old Molly Hare

Whatcha doin’ there? / Jump back! Jump back! / Daddy shot a bear...I saved up all my pennies and I gave them to this special guy / When he had enough of them he bought himself a cherry pie / He gave me a dollar. A blood-soaked dollar / I cannot get the spot out but / It's okay it still works in the store... 

- Eddie STATS

5. Nick Hakim - "The Light" [dir. Terence Nance]

At the top of the year, OKP premiered tracks from the perpetually-described-as-ethereal newcomer Nick Hakim. Our first look ushered in a pair of lullabies from the DMV native, one of which would come to stand out in “The Light.” As he explained of the project on which the song is included: "Where Will We Go stamps a point in time that I was dealing with death within my family and community, the questioning of religion…I guess, it’s just a young kid trying to figure out what’s going on.” It’s no surprise, then, that Hakim and director Terence Nance created a video filled with images that depict a beautifully spectral thoughtfulness, with its soft focus, black-and-white shadows and splashes of muted color. Depictions of frozen lakes, starry light imagery, and computer-created effects are layered with static, live action scenes to guide us gently through their world. The video speaks clearly to what Nance has described as a “free association” between him and Hakim to put on film the kind of imagery the track conjures upon listening. The duo are said to have let their subconscious -- rather than deliberate and meticulously planned storyboarding -- dictate what the video would become. The result is an alluring and captivating step inside the collective mind of an artist and a director collaborating at the highest level. - Cali Green

6. Mark Ronson feat. Bruno Mars - "Uptown Funk" [dir. Cameron Duddy]

Mark Ronson's comeback record was one that caught on with the fury of a thousand Morris Days, channelling The Time's sophisticated strut so intensely that if one were to close their eyes, they could almost smell the polish from all of the Stacy Adams' leather and gator skins. Dynamite do-it-all Bruno Marsprovides a perfect compliment to The Walk-invoking groove, which is not to say that "Uptown Funk" lives and dies by the charisma of Mars & Ronson  (all of which will be prominently featured on the just-dropped Uptown Special LP.) The charm that really sells this thing (on top of the fact that it'll have you looking over your shoulder for Jerome to pop up with a gold-laced mirror) is the insta-swag injection you get everytime those horns ring and the band starts to holler. It's like they're chanting for you and you alone and as we know by now everybody with a device to play it on catches that wind. The clip manages to culminate all of that energy into a throwback aesthetic that's as fun -if not more- than the track itself. Whether in the salon with the rollers, cat-calling with the fellas or cruising on top of the white-out stretch, everything about this video bleeds sweet, sweet nostalgia. The strut is real with this one, folks. - Z0

7. The Roots - "Understand" [dir. Joe Baughman]

When The Roots began to debut music from their decidedly conceptual album ...and then you shoot your cousin, director Joe Baughman gave us a claymation video for “When The People Cheer” and followed that up with a clip that feels like a sequel in his stop motion visual for “Understand.” The track is a drum-and-organ centric musical score that hinges upon sentient lyrics: “People ask for God, ’til the day He comes; see God face, turn around and run; God sees the face of a man, shakes his head then He says ‘Man’ll never understand’.” The wildly inventive video follows an animated wad of cash -- with Benjamin Franklin at the head -- through a journey inside an eerie factory, with plenty of thought-provoking imagery. Primarily focused on concepts of money and religion -- collection plates, communion wine, and Bibles appear throughout -- the overall feeling leans toward the brilliantly surreal. A church organ plays itself, machines build a casket that eventually fills with money, and blue and red police lights flash behind stained glass. As our Ben Franklin main character makes its way toward an unknown fate, the theme of spirituality vs. economics in society is confirmed in the lyrics of Dice Raw (who seems to plan on gambling his way through the afterlife): “I pray, I pray, All Dogs Go To Heaven; or to a new hell with a Wi-Fi connection; so I can pay for my sins on PayPal; or own a holy ghost, a greyhound.” With just under three minutes of nonstop symbolism, the video for “Understand” is a bewitching accompaniment to the overall themes put forth in the wonderfully cerebral collection of songs that make up ATYSYC. - Cali Green

8. SBTRKT f. Ezra Koenig - "NEW DORP NEW YORK" [dir. Fons Scheiden]

If Tim Burton got the chance to reconstruct Manhattan, what we see in "New Drop New York" might be the end result. Draped in shadows and smoke, SBTRKT's visual perfectly captures the menacing tone of its track, plunging us into a dystopian world where city landmarks meet small towns and sea shoes, and nothing feels quite right. Was there a rapture? Where is everyone? As one lone wolf prowls the streets SBTRKT's music builds in power and complexity, and soon we see that this lone creature might be the hunter of humans in hiding. "NEW DORP NEW YORK" is an exercise in mood and tone--never comfortable, far from obvious and frighteningly great. - Scott Heins

9. Chromeo - "Jealous"

A Jewish priest and an Arab usher running a Vegas wedding chapel full of neon and synthesizers--when it comes to imagination, Chromeo has it falling out of their pockets. The Canadian funk duo broke into Top 40 radio with "Jealous" and the track's video is the most fun YouTube had all year.  As P-Thugg brings couples of all styles (and lifestyles) up to Dave-1's altar to be joined in holy matrimony, something strange happens. Dave can't stop imagining each bride stripped down and dancing just for him. Is he a daydreamer, an undercover playboy or just a heartsick holy man? It doesn't really matter--the video's set design is so brilliant, its cinematography so smooth and "Jealous" is so damn good we hardly need a logical explanation. Chromeo's video is pop in its best form--smart, ironic, flirtatious funky in video form. Damn skippy we're with it. - Scott Heins

10. FKA twigs - "Two Weeks" [dir. Nabil Elderkin]

Nabil Elderkin has an insane talent for bringing songs to life onscreen with the kind of imagination and craft often reserved for big budget feature films.  The official video for “Two Weeks” from UK phenom FKA Twigs proved to be yet another win for the man who has had the good fortune of applying his touch to everything from videos for Kanye West and James Blake to World Cup soccer ads.  Alluding to the veritable omnipresence of the rising star who practically ruled the pop charts in 2014, Elderkin populates the clip with an army of Twigs that exist in a world with a sinister feel that hearkens back to the regal scene set by Michael Jackson’s groundbreaking video for “Remember The Time” - a clip inspired by the iconography of ancient Egypt and driven by the unforgettable precision of killer dance moves.  Combining that aesthetic with the electric sound of the track and the singer’s obvious talent as a performance artist, Elderkin finds a way to make FKA Twigs as big as some have estimated she will ultimately become.  On a pedestal placed squarely at the center of it all, Twigs simultaneously reigns as queen and populates the court of a mystic gold-tinged empire built of perfectly placed bodies, serpentine movements and the mystery that has drawn a legion of voracious listeners to the left to gorge on her fringe-driven sound.  The costume changes alone should make this video worth paying attention to.  The gold Elderkin squeezes from a single camera shot and a hand painted backdrop, however, is arguably the stuff of legend. - Karas Lamb

11. Childish Gambino - "Sweatpants/Urn" [dir. Hiro Murai]

Childish Gambino and Hiro Murai's collaborative visual for "Sweatpants/Urn" is as playful as it is sharp and as displacing as it is poignant. Bino & Murai's double feature appropriates a critique of the "techno-loop" to a Groundhogs Day meets Multiplicity type of aesthetic that is designed to leave you scratching your head at least a little bit. But if anything can be said for the clip, it's that Glover's knack for pushing audible and visual boundaries can be echoed by one man alone and that is inarguably Murai. After the curtain draws, the sci-fi treatment morphs into something deeper and stranger altogether, finding Glover in a field of whirling lights, almost weightless as he transitions into the tender croon of "Urn," which is still the best minute and some change of Rhodes-soaked balladry 2013 had to offer. All of this makes for one of the most stunning visual treatments of the year and proves definitively that Bino and Murai are two madcap minds in a pod of surreal sci-fi fanyboyism. - Zo

12. Childish Gambino - "Telegraph Ave" (Hiro Murai/Larkin Seiple)

Yet another Childish Gambino clip and yet another star directing turn from Hiro Murai, clearly the name to remember as far as video auteurs in 2014 go. In this particular visual for "Telegraph Ave" ( a nod to Lloyd's "Oakland," which provided the backing track more than anything to do with the song itself? At any rate, don't expect to see any Yay Area scenery in the video backdrop) Murai abandons the subtle surreality he has employed elsewhere for a structure more conventionally narrative--and yet far more disturbing, with its surprise ending. For his part, Gambino puts skills developed in his other life as mild-mannered actor Donald Glover to good use, getting his best young-Philip-Michael-Thomas on in the video's tropical vacation scenario. Not to mention his best Yaphet Kotto in the very different scenario that unfolds at the short film's end, if you knowhattamean. No spoilers, but all is not as it seems on this lover's holiday. - Eddie STATS

13. Blood Orange - "You're Not Good Enough" [dir. Gia Coppola]

Speaking of revival, Dev Hynes '80s-inspired new romantic funk meets its match in the stylishly self-aware video lights of Gia Coppola's video for "You're Not Good Enough." Behind the white hot hotspots and All That Jazz-meets-Thriller feel of the dance numbers, the best part of the video of course--and the thread that truly ties the music and visuals together--is Dev's totally free and seemingly un-choreographed (or perhaps spontaneously self-choreographed would be more accurate) dancing. - Eddie STATS

14. Raury -"God's Whisper" [dir. Andrew Donoho]

For many (including myself) the video for “God’s Whisper” provided us with our very first introduction to the genre-smashing ATLien known as Raury. Except, from the onset, you can’t readily identify him as any one of these tikes marauding suburban streets, pulling hard on cigarettes and swigging bottles as they make their way to the forest, etching out their identity as one amongst a mass of like-minded outliers. Identity is key here. Raury’s booming, folky composition embodies the battlecry of what Hunter S. Thompson might have recognized as a bonafide Doomed Generation, lost in the technocracy and void of any semblance of identity. But what else are those formative years for? The video emulates the Lost Boys aesthetic perfectly and embodies those years of unbridled ambition and full-on discovery with a motley crew of young'uns poised to find, maybe not themselves, but at the very least, something worth living for. If nothing else, in another case of music colliding with its times, the image of a slim black youth in long-sleeve tee and floppy sunhat, stepping up wide-eyed to mouth the words spelled out on the screen: "I won't live a life on my knees"--will be forever burned in our eyeballs. In fact, it's about as good a takeway from 2014 as you could ask for. -Zo & Eddie STATS