50 Best Music Videos of 2006

December 7, 2006 11:33 PM

Long before 2006 you could probably make a convincing argument that the music video has outlived its purpose; however, musicblogger docopenhagen's list of the top 50 music videos of 2006 has some excellent inclusions, and hopefully something for even the most jaded viewer. My threefavorites.
posted by jonson (19 comments total)

Eep. Wanted a space between "three" & "favorites". Oh well.
posted by jonson at 11:34 PM on December 7, 2006

Radiohead has some very fine music videos, especially since Kid A. I believe a few made their directors famous. The Most Gigantic Lying Mouth Of All Time was great.
posted by bukharin at 12:18 AM on December 8, 2006

It did not have Hot Chip's Boy From School or Margot and the Nuclear So and Sos Quiet as a Mouse. These were a couple of my favorite vidoes this year (off the top of my head at least).
posted by thylacine at 12:44 AM on December 8, 2006

Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm Malajube..! :D
posted by zenzizi at 12:51 AM on December 8, 2006

50 embedded Youtube videos on one page? It's browsercrasherrific!

I have a special laptop.
posted by jchgf at 1:02 AM on December 8, 2006

the music video has outlived its purpose

There is a purpose other than blatant commercialism for music videos?
posted by Pollomacho at 1:02 AM on December 8, 2006

Nice collection - I haven't heard of half these bands, so here's hoping I discover some good stuff.

you could probably make a convincing argument that the music video has outlived its purpose

How so?
posted by jack_mo at 2:35 AM on December 8, 2006

This reminds me how I scrolled through this last year, hard to believe it's been that long. Thank you, jonson, this crop's even better.

Hey--we're still in Zappa fortnight, right?
Let's play the whole 50-screen. Command and Cacophony--crazy-click, stand tall, finger-mount a black lip comb and rococo-wave your cell like a baton.

Chad Wackerman or Steve Vai will figure it out later.
posted by toma at 2:54 AM on December 8, 2006

Til Sunday you're in time to make your own nominations for the upcoming antville Music Video Awards 2006. Final votes to be held next week.

I hear Good Weather for Airstrikes is also about to drop a 2006 version of his top 65 music videos of the year.

the music video has outlived its purpose

Some might beg to differ.
posted by progosk at 3:13 AM on December 8, 2006

the antville crowd is sometimes very harsh and over-critical in the comments. like the other day when I first saw faithless' bombs and thought it was quite well done, went to antville and read this:

"The most inept '6th former' visual imagery I've ever seen, cobbled together in an irony free teenager's notion of profound commentary. It's about as sophisticated as using a biro to draw a Hitler 'tache onto a newspaper clipping of George W. Bush. Faithless may be weed smoking poseurs but they should be thoroughly embarrassed of this."

I was kinda embarressed myself.
posted by kolophon at 4:08 AM on December 8, 2006

oh, and perhaps it is time to leave youtube behind and move on to zudeo for a better quality. It is not as comfortable though...
posted by kolophon at 4:15 AM on December 8, 2006

That sigur ros video was incredible.

i get the impression that a lot of these videos were not sanctioned by the bands?
posted by empath at 5:31 AM on December 8, 2006

This list seems to often go for hip music over amazing videos.

And, Margot and the Nuclear So and Sos have a music video? I knew they had a giant black bus, but a video, that I did not know. (I had the pleasure of playing a show with them last Friday).
posted by drezdn at 6:37 AM on December 8, 2006

I think it's a travesty that this masterpiece was overlooked.
posted by empath at 7:10 AM on December 8, 2006

very good stuff here--thanks!
posted by amberglow at 7:29 AM on December 8, 2006

I havent seen a music video since I stumbled across some sweaty Britney Spears video years back, which I appreciated, you know, for its ummm ... aesthetic value. Before that, it was A-hA's Take on Me.

Damn I'm old.

Some nice videos in the bunch though. Good Friday timewasting.
posted by elendil71 at 9:08 AM on December 8, 2006

I'm waiting for the Good Weather for Airstrikes one. Last year they put up a torrent of all of them and it was like christmas came early.
posted by fungible at 10:26 AM on December 8, 2006

elendil71, Take On Me is still in many Top 10/20/100 lists. It's only in the last few years that democratization of animation has begun to make it look creaky.

Radiohead has some very fine music videos, especially since Kid A.

I have never heard of this ... Radiohead of which you speak.

jonson, those were three excellent videos you picked. I still have to see over half the list, though. I'm waiting for two to match 2005's Human by Carpark North or Glosoli by Sigur Ros.
posted by dhartung at 2:55 PM on December 8, 2006

Maybe not the best produced music video, but Kamini's Marly-Gomont video is pretty amusing.
posted by Frankieist at 1:18 AM on December 9, 2006