Hasta La Ideas

Another end-of-the-year list for you: this time it’s the turn of music videos. Here, in no particular order, are ten promos that rocked CR’s world this year…

First up is OK Go’s splendid website for the track All Is Not Lost. Created in association with Google Japan and choreographers Pilobolus, it features the band performing bodily contortions in tight green lycra across a series of pop-up windows. There is an interactive element too, where the band spell out messages submitted by users. You can find the site at allisnotlo.st.

Next we have the quite astounding video for Duck Sauce track Big Bad Wolf. This promo does feature the band but not quite in the form that you’d ever expect to see them. You’ve probably already viewed it, but if not, be warned, it might be deemed NSFW. Director: Keith Schofield.

Directing collective Canada picked up the Best Director gong at this year’s UK MVAs. Our favourite video of theirs in 2011 was for the track Ice Cream by Battles.

Another big winner at the UK MVAs was this exquisite film for Manchester Orchestra track Simple Math, directed by Daniels.

Director Tom Haines shocked and surprised with this tale of class warfare, created for the track Money and Run by Unkle (feat. Nick Cave).

Isaac Rentz’s poignant stop-motion tale for Aberdeen by Cage The Elephant melted our hearts earlier this year.

And we loved Lykke Li’s bonkers but brilliant performance in the video for Sadness Is A Blessing, which was directed by Tarik Saleh.

Thom Yorke danced like we’d never seen him dance before in this video for Radiohead track Lotus Flower, which sparked many a YouTube spoof. The director was Garth Jennings. An honourable dancing mention must also go to this video, for Lonely Boy by the Black Keys, which was directed by Jesse Dylan.

New creative company Party created this beautifully illustrated interactive website for the track Bell by Androp. The site invites visitors to type in a message, which then turns into an animal that must be guided through a landscape fraught with peril. Play the promo at androp.jp/bell.

We finish our list with the promo for In Pieces by J Majik & Wickaman (feat. Dee Freer). The film was shot by photographer Josh Cole and stars a number of street dancers from Rwanda and Burundi. The video picked up a Best in Book award in this year’s CR Photography Annual (this year the awards featured moving image projects by photographers for the first time).

CR in Print

If you only read CR online, you’re missing out. The January issue of Creative Review is a music special with features on festivals, the future of the music video and much much more. Plus it comes with its very own soundtrack for you to listen to while reading the magazine.

If you would like to buy this issue and are based in the UK,you can search for your nearest stockist here. Based outside the UK? Simply call +44(0)207 292 3703 to find your nearest stockist. Better yet, subscribe to CR for a year here and save yourself almost 30% on the printed magazine.