The 5 Best Videos Of The Week
It’s been a long time since we’ve seen one music video dominate conversation like this — not just conversation about music video, but conversation about music in general, and maybe about pop culture. It’s justified. Plenty of people are saying that Childish Gambino’s “This Is America” is the best music video in years. I’m not ready to take that leap; we are, after all, still living in a world where Kendrick Lamar’s “Humble” exists. But it’s still an exceptional piece of work, and it towers over the rest of this week’s list like an iceberg over the Atlantic. This week’s picks are below.
5. Nina Kinert – “Chapped Lips” (Feat. Samuel T. Herring) (Dir. Palmer Lydebrant)
I wouldn’t have guessed that the world needed a gothic costume drama starring the Future Islands guy, but here we are.
4. Wye Oak – “It Was Not Natural” (Dir. Dan Huiting)
If I ever get lost in a ghostly and surreal deathscape, I hope it’s at least as pretty as this ghostly and surreal deathscape.
3. KYLE – “Playinwitme” (Feat. Kehlani) (Dir. Colin Tilley)
I would honestly watch this game show every week. My one lingering question: Why is the surfer-dude alter-ego of KYLE, with the goatee bun and the Bret Hart sunglasses, so much more appealing than the real KYLE?
2. BlocBoy JB – “No Chorus Pt. 11″ (Dir. Fredrivk Ali)
The “This Is America” video has a whole lot to say about watching people dance while the world burns around them. (Donald Glover even does the Blocboy JB dance at one point — as well as the Sada Baby dance, which might be even more impressive.) But sometimes, watching people dance is fucking amazing.
1. Childish Gambino – “This Is America” (Dir. Hiro Murai)
It’s been a week, and I don’t know how many repeat viewings, and my head is still spinning.