From the visually striking to the emotionally draining, for whatever reasons these are the videos that stuck with us this year.

#8. Dan Deacon - When I Was Done Dying
 Nine separate animators with distinct and very different styles interpret the themes of this song to produce this video.

#4. De Staat - Witch Doctor
Dir:  Floris Kaayk & Torre Florim

Another great 'single take' video with a Behind the Scenes that makes it all the more impressive.

#3. Rag'N'Bone Man - Hell Yeah
Dir:  Truman & Cooper
All emotion & storytelling in this video that sees a car drive through the memories of a brother & sister's abusive upbringing at the hands of their Father, as they travel to pick him up from Jail.

#2. GUNSHIP - Fly For Your Life
Dir: Damian Nenow

Taken from the short 'Paths of Hate' the music video adds an 80s vibe with animation reminiscent of the dark intensity in the ‘flower’ scene from Pink Floyd’s The Wall.

#1. David Bowie – "★" Black star
Dir: Johan Renck



Despite the mixed critical response to the video, Bowie continues to deliver at the very least, another memorable video. "★" directed by Johan Renck, the sometimes Breaking Bad director and creator of The Last Panthers, the clip has an impressive length for a video that does away with narrative and a bold confidence to let the audience piece it together. 

#10. Mastodon - The Motherload
Dir: Jonathan Rej and Thomas Bingham    

Everything wrong with music videos in 2014 done right. 

#7. Red Fang - Crows in Swine
Dir: Adam Avilla

It’s clear from the Mastodon and Red Fang video that metal is just better when it’s not taking its self too seriously. 

#6. CYMATICS - Science Vs. Music
Dir: Shahir Daud    

Science Vs Music = Kick Ass Video Win 

#5.  Royal Blood -Figure It Out
Dir: Ninian Doff

Filmed with a really cool in-camera effect, using Red & Blue filters to reveal two different sides of the story. 

#10 Foals - Late night
Dir: Nabil Elderkin
Profound but incredibly pieced together with amazing cinematography. 

#9 The Red Paintings - Your Not One of Them
Dir: Trash McSweeney
Ok some bias but this is actually the first TRP video that I didn’t have a whole lot to do with.  Well done to Richard Bell & Trash on set and Jarryd Hall, Adele Walker, Dallas Ashton, Moogie and the team in putting it together. A great video by anyone’s standards, And you can vote for it in Rage’s Top 50 along with our clip  ‘Loreli’

 

#7  The Doppler Shift - The Man Who Was Forever Haunted by His Head
Dir:  Claudio Sichel
By complete fluke we found this video. A case of great visuals complementing the music and Vice Versa.

#6 The Vein / Magma
Dir:  Dvein
Crazy, disturbing and beautiful. 

#5 Steven Wilson -The Raven that Refused to Sing
Dir: Jessica Cope & Simon Cartwright
Very cool paper cut out animation and a really sad song and video  that compliment each other perfectly. The Drive Home clip is also pretty exceptional. 

#4 BEHEMOTH - Blow Your Trumpets Gabriel
Dir: Dariusz Szermanowicz
Hats off to any director that makes me feel like I just witnessed a stuff film. Nothing filmed was particularly shocking but I still feel somewhat disturbed by it all.  

#3 Atoms for Peace - Before Your Very Eyes
Dir: Andrew Thomas Huang
 A combination of stopmotion, CGI, greenscreen and kooky eyes have been assembled into this heavily textured music video. One where the making of is just as intriguing as the video itself.

#2 Bob Dylan - Like A Rolling Stone
Yet another video that pushes the music video genre. Probably also the best interactive video this year too (QOTSA & Pharrell Williams also releasing interactive music videos). channel surf through a dozen  TV shows singing Dylan including The Price is Right,  

#1 WoodKid - I Love You
Dir: Yoann Lemoine
Before you tell us to hold on Beyonce had one of the best videos of all time, hear me out. For the last three years now we have had one of Yoann Lemoine's (also the musician WoodKid) videos in our top ten, and that's not about to change with a new video for 2014 being announced.  Each video continues a stylistic look and a loose narrative that runs through the three videos released so far. It's the relentless beautiful work and dedication to tell an ongoing story over three or four videos that led to this being our number one for 2013. 

A list of our favourite music videos from 2012,  Hopefully anyone who is viewing this list will discover some great new vids and / or revisit some forgotten favourites of 2012.

#10 Nekrogoblikon - No one survives, 
Dir: Brandon Dermer. 
I wish more metal videos would take themselves less seriously. 

#9 Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
Dir: David Fincher & Tim Miller (Creative Director)

#8 John Park - Falling 

#7 Wood Kid, Run Boy Run
Dir: Yoann Lemoine

#6 A Forest of Stars - Gatherer of the Pure

#5 David Byrne / St Vincent Who 

#4 Tom Waits – Hell Broke Luce

#3 Rammstein Mein Herz brennt 

#2 Sigur Rós - Dauðalogn

#1 BON IVER - Towers

#10   Modeselektor feat. Thom Yorke - Shipwreck 
Dir: Tony T

#9 Corporate Occult - Huoratron  
Dir: Cedric Blaisbois
If Chris Cunningham and H.R.Giger got together and decided to make a snuff film, this would be it’s love child. 

#8 David Toujaryan - Burning Bridges
Dir: Serj Gabyan

#7 HUNZ - I Get Chills 
Dir: Dan Graetz, Jonas McQuiggin

#6  Laura - This Grey Earth
DIR: David Dreimann

#5 Opeth - The Devil's Orchard
by Phil Mucci

#4 Moby - After  
Dir: Alberto Gómez

#3 Memory Tapes- Yes I Know
Dir: Eric Epstein

#2  Woodkid - Iron
Dir: Yoann Lemoine

# 1   Transfer - Take Your Medicine
DIR: Nader Husseini

#10 Tobacco -Super Gum
Kicking off my Top Ten Music Videos of 2010 with Tobacco's 'Super Gum'. Have not been able to forget this clip since I saw it, features ET being taken advantage of. I think the footage comes from a real film. I’d love to know the name of the film if anyone knows or dares to admit they have seen it.

#9 Kanye West - Power 
Inspired by Michelangelo's artwork in the Sistine Chapel, I’d say this is the slickest music video I’ve seen all year deserving of the #1 spot, but because Kanye  destroys  a classic ‘King Crimson’ song by sampling ‘21st century schizoid man’ it can’t be forgiven and gets a #9

#8 Grinderman - Heathen Child 
Dir: John Hilcoat,
Makes 'The Road' look like a day at the beach.

 #7 Plan B - Prayin
Dir: Daniel Wolfe
I don't know what it was but there where alot of music videos this year that felt more like watching a film than a music video.

#6 Baths - Lovely Bloodflow 
Dir: Alex Takacs and Joe Nankinhttp
Beautifully shot, weird music, Samurai and purple gas must be my #6 Favorite Music Video or the year. 

#5 Gil Scott-Heron - New York is Killing Me  
Dir: Chris Cunningham
Draw the blinds and turn the lamp down low, cos Chris Cunningham’s Music video / installation piece is the shit. 

#4 UNKLE - The Answer 
Dir: John Hillcoat
Actor Ray Winstone talks about being hit by lightning as a child in yet another video directed by John Hillcoat in my top ten. 

#3 Arcade Fire - The Suburbs  
Directed by Spike Jonze!

#2 Die Antwoord -Ninja
Enter the Ninja & Evil Boy tie for second. If Die Antword had released ten music videos this year I think I would have included them all.   

 #1MIA - Born Free
Dir: Romain Gavras
Gingercide