Top 40 Music Videos of 2008
And so it begins, the tidal wave of year-end lists approaches, and for Listicles’ first observance of this seasonal web-data migration we look at a list of the Top 40 Music Videos of 2008 from those totemic (sometimes tyrannical) arbiters of indie-alternative musical taste, Pitchfork.
Fittingly, they pick a mix of indie, dance and semi-mainstream fare (no rap, unless you count Jay-Z doing “Wonderwall”, which you shouldn’t). The list is alphabetical so for once Pitchfork isn’t making claims for superiority among its elite Top 40, though the entries are clearly not all on the same level. For instance:
Girl Talk, “Still Here”
As someone who only found out four minutes ago that Girl Talk videos even existed, I am delighted to have discovered this additional visual dimension to the Pittsburgh native’s catchy 90s trivia music. That said, this mash-up is pretty unimaginative and just splices together the video clips from the musical snippets.
This next video from Pitchfork’s Top 40, on the other hand, seems to have very little regard for the song it’s matched to until about halfway through, which is exactly when it gets exponentially weirder.
Gnarls Barkley, “Who’s Gonna Save My Soul”
Awesome. Just when you think it can’t get stranger, the heart sprouts lips and sings, kills itself, and then pulls a human head out of its wound. Also, good luck eating anything after watching it, especially broccoli (or a human heart). And speaking of food ethics, I think my favorite in this list is a song I’d never heard before by a band/artist/person I know nothing about.
Thunderheist, “Jerk It”
Among all the videos on this top 40 with semi-violent imagery (like Justice’s “Stress”, Kanye West’s “Flashing Lights” and Terry Lynn’s “The System”) this is by far the super-coolest. Just try to stop your toes tapping while you watch. Also, is she holding that chicken the whole time? Don’t tell PETA.
Other favorites from Pitchfork’s Top 40? Videos that were left out? Let us know in the comments.
Leave a Reply