Since the cataclysmic, interstellar collision of music and videos, people everywhere have been treated to the unparalleled experience of audio visual perfection. This explosion of multiple forms of artistry interacting, interweaving and interrelating has led to some of the most expressive and impactful few minutes that have ever been spent.
I conceit, perhaps I’m getting a little excited about music videos but when I sat down and thought about it I was increasingly impressed, mesmerised and inspired by the medium of music videos – and they are only getting better.
With the unforeseen global takeover that is Youtube, music videos are more expressive and more accessible than ever before. Thus we are delving into our five favourite psychedelic music videos of all time.
Here are the top 5 most poignant, interstellar or unstoppable sensory music videos on Youtube that we just can’t stop replaying.
On this list we have attempted to draw mostly from the new so that our judgement isn’t clouded by nostalgia. Also we have taken into account the quality of the song as much as the quality of the video as it is a bundled experience.
1. The Less I Know The Better – Tame Impala
Tame Impala‘s iconic music video for The Less I Know The Better certainly has elements of the surreal and has sparked many a circulating fan theory on the true meaning and poignancy of the clip. Any video raises that many questions and conversations has exceeded it’s requirements and thus is crowned as the king of clips.
One of the most recognisable and orgasm worthy bass lines of all time makes this tune timeless as is. Then throw in some King Kong sex complex and a whole lot of surreal transportation and you’ve got one seriously incredible experience on your hands.
2. Rattlesnake – King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard
It probably comes as no surprise that King Gizzard have a spot on this list. With 15 studio albums in seven years and a near intimidating dedication for experimentation and pushing boundaries the Melbourne Wizards can do no wrong.
Perhaps the catchiest hook they have ever written, Rattlesnake is a masterclass in hypnotism. The trippy 3D visuals look like they are out of some 90s video game as the band dance around, turning into and jumping over snakes as the viewer is hurtled towards some distant brewing storm. One for the ages.
4. Connan Mockasin – Forever Dolphin Love
Who’s NZ born, a musical genius and Sid Barret incarnate. That’s right Connan Mockasin and his most stunning work to date: Forever Dolphin Love. Playing out like the madness inside the mind of some deranged doll, Mockasin has surely created a song like no other.
Opening up like an acid trip gone wrong you will almost certainly feel uncomfortable before a groove whispers in smooth and sweet and Connan grabs you by the collar, pulling you into his world. It’s not the tempo changes, the locked groove or longing vocals that make this track exceptional. It’s the unparalleled artistry of both sound and visuals. And indeed the whole albums exists within this woozy, deranged sound world and it’s absolutely beautiful. I dare say, a masterpiece.
For extra points checks out King Krule‘s incredible cover here.
5. Kodama – Kikagaku Moyo
Cut from their second album Forest Of Lost Children, Kodama highlights everything that makes Kikagaku Moyo one of the worlds most unique psych-rock bands. Wicked sitar lines, fuzzed out solos, entrancing groove and a whole lot of strange.
The clip is entirely shot on vintage film grain and plays out like a drug-fuelled Alice In Wonderland tea party. The distorted and trippy transitions and overall peculiarity have earn’t Kikagaku Moyo a spot on this list making for seven minutes very well spent.
5. All Mirrors – Angel Olsen
The magnificent songstress Angel Olsen. Her third studio album, All Mirrors, dropped yesterday and title track came with one whopper of a film clip. The stunning meditation on time and it’s tendency to treat beauty unkind, signifies a completely new sound for Olsen and it’s a change of theatric transcendency.
All Mirrors is shot entirely in black and white and captures Olsen embracing her forward motion. The lush orchestration throws you headlong into a wilder sound world than we’ve heard before from Angel and it’s a stunning surreal escape. The twisted transformation as she confronts her darker self is nothing short of magnificent and has made for easily one of the strongest videos of 2019.
