The 5 Best Videos Of The Week
I don’t rank late-night performances in this space, but this week, there were a couple of exceptional ones that demand to be mentioned. First, there’s Sharon Van Etten unleashing her full soul-wrecking wail while singing “Seventeen” on Colbert. And then there’s one that basically is a music video: Bad Bunny euphorically lip-syncing “Mía” while leading a parade through San Juan streets. And once the song kicks in, even Jimmy Fallon mostly manages to avoid mugging. It’s a delight. This week’s picks are below.
5. Tyga – “Floss In The Bank” (Dir. Arrad & Tyga)
While nobody was paying attention, Tyga was off somewhere, making the Lawrence Of Arabia (or at least the Scorpion King) of dumb swag-rap videos. I can’t help but be impressed.
4. Troye Sivan – “Lucky Strike” (Dir. Emma Westenberg)
The beach-party music-video adaptation of that old Simpsons scene where Bart imagines the babysitter ripping his heart out and throwing it in the trash.
3. Jai Wolf – “Lose My Mind” (Feat. Mr. Gabriel) (Dir. Andrew Donoho)
There have been so many stories about the blank, overwhelming claustrophobia of long-term space travel, but most of them have not taken the form of breezy new-wave music videos, and most of them don’t have surprise endings that kick this hard.
2. The Killers – “The Land Of The Free” (Dir. Spike Lee)
This might be the year that Spike Lee finally gets the Oscar he should’ve won 30 fucking years ago. It’s definitely the year he elevated the Killers’ attempt at Springsteen/U2 political reach. Two great achievements! Just by showing people’s face, Lee has given a moral weight to the bullshit stories we’re seeing every day. A powerful reminder that people’s lives are already hard enough and that you have to be a special kind of asshole to go out of your way to make them harder.
1. City Girls – “Twerk” (Feat. Cardi B) (Dir. DAPS)
Look. I know. OK? But. I mean. Just. Look. Come on. You know? OK?