The 5 Best Videos Of The Week

The 5 Best Videos Of The Week

I would like to alert you, if I may, to the existence of “Remedy,” the new video from the Swedish EDM producer Alesso. In this video, an alien spacecraft crashes in Los Angeles, as a little girl watches from a diner window. A tiny and adorable green alien, played by a child in costume and makeup, wanders lost and alone, looking for some mysterious symbol. He sees that symbol on an Alesso poster, and so he goes to an Alesso show. There, he meets another little-kid alien, and this one, for whatever reason, has a giant fake nose. Together, the two alien children walk up to Alesso himself, who beatifically hands them a magical green Alesso record. This somehow allows their spaceship to take off again. And that same little girl, who I guess has been sitting in that diner for this entire time, waves goodbye. I came very close to including that video on this week’s list. I thought better of it. You’re welcome. This week’s list is below.

5. Fleet Foxes – “I Am All That I Need / Arroyo Seco / Thumbprint Scar” (Dir. Sean Pecknold)

This is pretty and all, but I can’t shake the notion that I should’ve put that Alesso video in this spot instead.

4. Niko Yoko – “Neo Tokyo” (Dir. Ariel Fisher)

All the gorgeous old-timey cinematography and styling of an old Godard movie! And all the winky, deconstructed sex and violence! Maybe some of the narrative! None of the sitting in one place for an hour and a half!

3. Childish Gambino – “Feels Like Summer” (Dir. Donald Glover, Ivan Dixon, & Greg Sharp)

It’s pretty amazing that Donald Glover made an absurdist cartoon rappers-as-Muppet-Babies video that people are still reading as an allegory about global warming. And it’s also pretty amazing that maybe they’re right!

2. Yesh – “VII” (Dir. rubberband)

There’s a website where you can watch all the stunningly composed shots of this video in randomized order, and that’s apparently how they were meant to be seen. Taken that way, they “explore the random nature of memories.” But even without that conceptual framework, it works as a gorgeous meditation on death, on mourning, on whatever comes after.

1. The Blaze – “Queens” (Dir. The Blaze)

What can you even say? There are shots in this video that, even taken out of all possible context, will just take your breath away. Give these guys an HBO show.

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