The 5 Best Videos Of The Week

The 5 Best Videos Of The Week

Lady Gaga is probably the last mainstream star who became a star primarily because of her videos, which were weird and eye-popping and absorbing and cinematic and generally incredible. I’ve been at a Thanksgiving dinner where an entire family crouched around laptops to watch “Bad Romance”; the mass fascination was real. So what the fuck is she even doing with the “Perfect Illusion” video? How can it possibly be that boring and one-note? How can Lady Gaga, an artist who has always seemed to understand the medium better than anyone else on the planet, be content to call it a day just because she’s wearing some daisy dukes and homeboy from Tame Imapala is in the video? Thankfully, even after she shit the bed, there were some good videos this week. Five of them are below.

5. White Lung – “Sister” (Dir. Justin Gradin & Ben Jacques)

There’s a scene in this video where the women of White Lung puke on a record player, and then they drop the needle on the puke, like it was a record. And then they dance to it. John Waters would be proud.

4. Empire Of The Sun – “High And Low” (Dir. Empire Of The Sun)

I imagine the members of Empire Of The Sun sitting around stoned, in full costume and makeup, staring at old Asia and Boston album covers, and wondering what might happen if they moved.

3. Flatbush Zombies – “Trade-Off” (Dir. Jayga Rayn)

It’s probably not the case in real life, but crime in Shanghai looks more fun than crime over here.

2. Stylo G & Jacob Plant – “Bike Engine” (Dir. Keith Schofield)

God help us, but it appears that the EDM video has achieved full self-consciousness.

1. Japanese Breakfast – “Everybody Wants To Love You” (Dir. Adam Kolodny & Michelle Zauner)

Michelle Zauner’s mother wore that dress to Zauner’s own wedding, which makes this whole thing better. A simple idea, beautifully executed. There’s no reason Lady Gaga couldn’t have shot for something at least as striking as this.

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