Favorite Music Videos of '08

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Indie Ear is written by Brandon Kim. Drop him a line at indieear (at) ifc dot com

By Jim Shearer on 12/26/2008

Filed under: VIDEO BLOG

In all honesty, I don't watch nearly as many music videos these days as I have in the past, but c'mon--we're living in a YouTube world baby--music videos are so last century. That being said, a good music video still does something special to me.

Here are my favorites of the past year:

Gnarls Barkley, "Who's Gonna Save My Soul?"
Not only is the relationship dialogue spot on, but the animated heart--which is literally ripped out of the chest--adds another layer of depth to this fantastic break-up story. I also love the fact that Danger Mouse and Cee-Lo are in the video, but only for a brief second (Alfred Hitchcock and the Chemical Brothers would be proud).

Weezer, "Pork and Beans"
Like I said before, we live in a YouTube world. So how do you get a kid who's addicted to viral videos to sit down for one internet-second and watch a proper music video? Easy, fill the clip with their favorite viral-video superstars. Even internet gags are celebrated in this video as Weezer base their performance around the Diet Coke/Mentos-bomb phenomenon. The only thing I don't like about this clip is that Weezer's record label has disabled the YouTube embed feature ( which doesn't seem to fit with the spirit of the video).

The Black Keys, "Strange Times"
You wouldn't know it by just listening to their music, but The Black Keys may be the funniest group in indie rock. Talk to drummer, Pat Carney, for two seconds and you'll quickly see what I mean--just as soon as you're done laughing. The Black Keys playing against a bunch of kids in a game of Laser Tag is funny on its own, but the fact that they are using real lasers, gives it a whole other level of hilarity.

Moby, "Disco Lies"
Ever wonder what would happen if a chicken got his revenge on Colonel Sanders? Wonder no more.

Jamie Lidell, "Another Day"
Reminiscent of Michael Jackson's "Billie Jean" video (how else do you explain the light-up blocks?), Jamie Lidell serenades beautiful women while giving them missing body parts (mouth, eyes, ears). The clip is a perfect match for Lidell's unique and off-kilter personality.

The Bird and The Bee, "Polite Dance Song"
The first time you watch this video it will make you feel creepy. The second time you watch it, it will make you feel uncomfortable. The third time you watch it--you'll fall in love with it.

Deck-of-Jack, "Starter Jacket"
Think of it as West Side Story with Starter Jackets.

Metallica, "The Day That Never Comes"
A small portrait of what soldiers in Iraq probably encounter on a daily basis. The tension in this video builds to a heart-pounding climax (don't even think about cheating by skipping to the end).