Music Videos You Should Have Seen By Now

First off, I would like to take a moment to thank all of you for reading this nonsense.  It occurred to me earlier today, while overlooking a traffic jam and removing excess liquid from my body, that I'm not entirely sure of the reader-base for this publication (if one can ever call it such); but know that I love you all and would conjecture that some of you should switch to a decaffeinated brand in place of reading my musings. :-)
Gratitude expressed, we forge on:  If you haven't seen these videos, I'm not sure what you do with your life.  Far be it from me to say that this is the "10 Greatest Videos In The History of Forever" -- I'll leave that list for MTV.  Rather, this is a list of the videos I've found particularly memorable over the years, which I hope you will enjoy enjoying: (in no particular order)

1. Fuel - Shimmer [Sunburn]:  Easily one of my favorite songs of all time.  Ever.  The filming of the band is classic 90's; though at 1998 it is perhaps an homage to earlier yet.  I find three elements in the video particularly fascinating.  A)  Though you hear the strings very prevalently in the beginning of the song, there is never a clear shot of the cellist.  2)  I like that the light flickers throughout the video.  Any lighting effect that took "shimmer" more literally would have looked campy.  And D)  I'm perplexed by the choices for the video that is cut in between shots of the band.  Some of it I understand, and some of it I do not; but it really makes me think about what they were trying to convey.
2. K-OS - I Wish I Knew Natalie Portman [YES!]:  This one's a quickie.  Let me disabuse you: (SPOILER ALERT!)  Natalie Portman is nowhere in this video.  Not one frame (as best I can tell).  She is conspicuously absent, and I find this hysterical.  (And since you might be wondering by now, this song, less the title, lives in a Natlie Portman-less universe.)  There is however an awesome dance move at 0:48 -- so check that out.  I may or may not be attempting to learn that dance move. ;-)
3. The Smashing Pumpkins - Tonight, Tonight [Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness]:  This classic video is strange and wonderful.  Beyond noting that Billy Corgan is a strange and creepy dude, I feel like this video stands on its own.  Appropriate for children 5 and up. :-)
4. Jay-Z - On To The Next One (Featuring Swizz Beats) [The Blueprint 3]:  The first time I heard this song, I really wasn't impressed and dismissed it almost in its entirety.  It wasn't until Hotmess noted that "THIS VIDEO IS UNREAL" that I afforded this song its renaissance.  With my interests whetted, I attended the 3rd Annual Offensive People's Reunion where my good friend Joe keenly discerned that this song has a ridiculously hot beat.  With that brief litany established, let us commence with our discussion of the video proper.  Jay-Z is operating on a completely different plane from the reality that you and I experience in our daily lives.  Director Sam Brown is either a certified genius or an authentic wacko:  there are more fascinating/confusing/terrifying images in this video than any other single video I can recall.  For those who haven't seen it, may I recommend watching it at least 3 times - because you will likely continue to see new things during that period.  Your brain simply cannot process the amount of data in this video in a single pass. (I would love to include a more in-depth discussion of this video, including my Top-10 frames, but I don't want to spoil it for anyone who has not yet seen this masterpiece.)
5. Margot & the Nuclear So and So's - Quiet As A Mouse [The Dust of Retreat]:  I love this song.  The instrumentation is unique and driving, the song writing is top-notch, and there are some great images in the lyrics.  "When I woke I was alive in somebody's room / I felt life and love and hope infesting my bones. / Wake up you've got a lot of things to do / Wake up the sun is rising without you."  --  It's pretty much what we should all feel every morning.  I forget why I looked up this video the first time; probably because I liked the song so much.  I will say that I hated this video when I first saw it:  it didn't make sense to me, and it wasn't what I imagined when I heard the song.  But the more I think about it, the video is fascinating and powerful in the story it shows, just as the song is powerful in the lyrics and the notes.  I mean, how often do you see a full love story depicted through Impressionist art in a music video?
6. OK GO - Here It Goes Again [Oh No]:  All I have to say is:  4 guys, 8 treadmills, no camera cuts.  Amazing.
7. The White Stripes - Seven Nation Army [Elephant]:  Honestly not a huge fan of this song, but this video will give you a headache.  Pretty amazing considering its just a two-person gig; and their drummer is kind of hot. :-)
8. The Avalanches - Frontier Psychiatrist [Since I Left You]:  This video is ridiculous.  May I suggest the following:  Drink, Watch; Rinse, Repeat.  (Repeat a lot.)  I would have paid an absurd amount of money to be present during the filming of this video.  Ridiculous.
9. My Chemical Romance - Helena [Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge]:  A shout out to Puck, who told me to check out the dance routine in this video.  I actually ended up arranging this song for Beyond Unison way back in the day.  I do have to say:  the dancing is pretty baller... and the lead singer is way unsettling.
10. The Motorettes - You Gotta Look The Parts [You Gotta Look The Parts - EP] (as covered by KB Vidz):  Not entirely sure how I could have forgotten this!  The guy on the right in the shower (the "lead" in the song) is actually a fraternity brother of mine.  Per the comments on the video, these guys actually won Google Idol and got this video included on the band's enhanced CD.  Shout out to B Raves and the rest of the guys at KB Vidz:  you're all certifiable.

Hope you guys enjoyed the videos.  Stay tuned - new mix in the works. :-)

...and I'm back in the Studio (in Syracuse),
-JB