Must Watch Music

MTV long ago devolved into a collective of reality/scripted half hour showcases for spoiled teenage girls, pregnant teenage girls, and incredibly overpriviliged women who behave like girls. That's a bit general, but the point is that even though MTV long ago stopped caring about music videos, they do still exist. They're no longer marketing tools - no one really plays them on national television anymore. We instead buy them on iTunes and watch them on our iToys.

As the music industry continues its shape-shifting, it feels like there's no longer a pressure to deliver a certain type of video to promote an artist or album That music videos have been pushed to the back of modern-day pop culture's collective consciousness is a good thing. There is freedom. Not a liberation provided by the seemingly endless possibilities offered by the technology of our times, but an artistic uprising more interested in presenting a vision, no matter how controversial or twisted.

Regardless of what the idea of a music video means in 2010, there are plenty of great ones floating in the cyber ether. I've got a few of my current faves below in case you're interested.

MIA - Born Free

It's cinematic, controversial, intense, and a little shocking. It's MIA. "Born Free" is from her upcoming third album which should be out June 29, 2010.



The Morning Benders - Promises

Way too young Bonnie and Clyde clip is beautifully stylized. The same can be said for this song and the rest of the Morning Benders' latest album, Big Echo.


"Promises"

the morning benders | MySpace Music Videos

MGMT - Flash Delerium

Umm...so yeah, this is a big ol' slice of WTF from our friends Andrew and Ben. They are the nucleus of MGMT, a band that suprisingly broke through to the mainstream the last couple years, but have stayed true to their disturbingly twisted visions to make the music they want to make, not what will sell a bunch of records. It's called art and this video is absolutely artisitic. Or something