In this week’s top music video picks, we take a journey through psychedelic landscapes, dramatic westerns, and gorgeous mansions. From hip-hop to electronic and indie rock, and featuring artists like Cassie and James Blake, see which music videos are becoming viral.
Ghost and Gale: "Take Me To The Fire"
The recipe for Ghost and Gale’s debut video, “Take Me To the Fire,” is one part True Grit and two parts Salem witch trial. Beautifully shot over a sprawling prairie backdrop, the narrative focuses on the relationship between a mother and a daughter. (Keep watching until the end for a surprising plot twist.) The video was funded by fans on Kickstarter, and the duo described themselves on the site as “the happy collision of pine trees, dirt roads, smoky fires and apple blossoms; a whiskey-warm baritone blended with a buttery alto.”
Paramore: "Still Into You"
Paramore’s lead singer Hayley Williams looks sugary sweet with her bubblegum-pink and red-orange-tinted tresses, in the rock band’s video for their second single off of their self-titled album. She traipses through the different rooms of a colorful dollhouse-like mansion full of ballerinas and balloons with her band mates.
Tyga (featuring Wiz Khalifa & Mally Mall): “Molly”
Rapper Tyga enlists the help of his musical peers, Wiz Khalifa and Mally Mall, to sing an ode to MDMA drug, Molly. The song exhaustingly chants the chorus of “Molly” over and over again, however, the music video provides the real entertainment for the track. The Collin Tilley-directed video focuses on a vibrantly-colored, futuristic world, where robots roam freely and Tyga looks like the Terminator.
Cassie (featuring Rick Ross): "Numb"
Director Alex Nazari blurs the lines between reality and surrealism in this track, “Numb.” The video is a mixture of smoky black and white photography with dreamy ocean waves, and has a dash of subtle melting landscapes visual FX. The psychedelic theme is fitting to Cassie’s hook, “I make music to numb your brain.”
Majical Cloudz: "Childhood's End"
Cast members of seminal TV show Twin Peaks have been surfacing in music videos lately. Just last month, actor Ray Wise appeared in Beach House’s bizarre and entertaining “Wishes” video. Now, Kenneth Welsh, who played Windom Earle on the show, graces the band Majical Cloudz with his presence, in a haunting black and white video. His son is the band’s singer and songwriter, Devon Welsh, and he wrote on his Tumblr that this wasn’t their first collaboration—papa Welsh also played the flute and trumpet in the band's earlier recordings in 2010.
Cat Power: "Manhattan"
Chan Marshall, who goes by the stage name Cat Power, takes her sweet, lo-fi tunes on a tour through New York in her track, “Manhattan.” The video, a love letter to the city, follows the indie goddess through the Big Apple's landmarks and as she interacts with the locals.
James Blake: “Overgrown”
James Blake’s latest video is beautiful, evocative, and mesmerizing. Director Nabil, who always pushes the envelope with all his videos, brings stunning time lapses and dreamscapes to his latest project. A group of hooded and cloaked ominous figures follow and chase Blake on a cliff (see 3:32) in this abstract video.