The 5 Best Videos Of The Week
I have been writing this column for more than six years now. And even if you haven’t been reading for that whole time — even if you’re just idly clicking for the first time today — you deserve to know something. And that is this: You are reading a music-video column for someone who liked the thunderingly dumb new Lil Dicky/Chris Brown comedy-skit video much, much more than the portentous, satirical new 15-minute Arcade Fire short film with the Oscar-nominated actress. Adjust your opinions of my opinions accordingly. This week’s picks are below.
5. Courtney Barnett – “Need A Little Time” (Dir. Danny Cohen)
Space is a war-fighting domain, just like the land, air, and sea. We may even have a Space Force, develop another one, Space Force. We have the Air Force, we’ll have the Space Force. And it’ll involve Courtney Barnett bouncing around on tiny planets while playing guitar solos.
4. Rae Sremmurd – “Powerglide” (Feat. Juicy J) (Dir. Andy Hines)
Nothing this fun ever happens on the roof of my parking garage.
3. Lil Jon – “Alive” (Feat. Offset & 2 Chainz) (Dir. Elliott Sellers & Erik Ferguson) (NSFW)
If someone asks you to direct a Lil Jon video and you come up with the idea of his figure madly bouncing around a surreal CGI landscape of butts and boobs, you are doing your job right.
2. Taylor Swift – “Delicate” (Dir. Joseph Kahn)
You can go ahead and roll your eyes if you want. You can scoff at the premeditated meme-generating that isn’t even especially working. But I think it’s really sad and touching that Taylor Swift — the most famous songwriter of her generation, and one of the best — fantasizes with such palpable glee about turning invisible.
1. SSION – “At Least The Sky Is Blue” (Feat. Ariel Pink) (Dir. Cody Critcheloe)
The reigning master of psychedelic, glammed-out DIY videos has gotten himself a bit of a budget, and the rest of us need to bow down in homage.