Here's the truth: PSY "Gangnam Style" is the only video most people will remember from 2012. It's by far the most popular, most impactful, and the most unabashedly entertaining video of the year. It might be the defining music video of the Internet age (sorry, OK Go). The only reason I didn't put it first is so I didn't have to see his little cartoon likeness on the site yet again. And since PSY said he's retiring Gangnam after his NYE performance in Times Square, I'm sure he agrees.
Here's 40 great videos from 2012. The Top 10 here are probably my Top 10 of the year, but I'm mainly grouping things in a way that flows. Direct links to the original reviews with full credits are below, or just use the embedded playlist if you're ready for three hours of videos to ring in the New Year.
Thanks for a great 2012; here's to an even better 2013!
- M.I.A. "Bad Girls" (Romain Gavras, dir.)
- Of Monsters And Men "Little Talks" (WEWEREMONKEYS, dir.)
- PSY "Gangnam Style"
- Yuksek "Off the Wall" (Romain Segaud, dir.)
- Jack White "Sixteen Saltines" (AG Rojas, dir.)
- Alt-J "Breezeblocks" (Ellis Bahl, dir.)
- Macklemore/Ryan Lewis "Same Love" (Ryan Lewis/JJ Augustavo, dir.)
- The Shoes "Time To Dance" (Daniel Wolfe, dir.)
- Tom Waits "Hell Broke Luce" (Matt Mahurin, dir.)
- Jay-Z & Kanye West "No Church in the Wild" (Romain Gavras, dir.)
- Earl Sweatshirt "Chum" (Hiro Murai, dir.)
- How To Destroy Angels "Ice Age" (John Hillcoat, dir.)
- Woodkid "Run Boy Run" (Yoann Lemoine, dir.)
- Bjork "Mutual Core" (Andrew Thomas Huang, dir.)
- Grimes "Oblivion" (Emily Kai Bock, dir.)
- Spiritualized "Hey Jane" (AG Rojas, dir.)
- Flying Lotus "Until The Quiet Comes" (Khalil Joseph, dir.)
- Drake f/ Lil Wayne "HYFR" (Director X, dir.)
- 2Chainz f/ Kanye "Birthday Song" (Andreas Nilsson, dir.)
- Solange "Losing You" (Melina Matsoukas, dir.)
- Rome "2 Against 1" (Chris Milk & Anthony Francisco Schepperd, dir.)
- Justice "On N' On" (Alex Courtes, dir.)
- Scissor Sisters "Baby Come Home" (Lorenzo Fonda, dir.)
- Joey Ramone "NYC" (Greg Jardin, dir.)
- Aimee Mann "Labrador" (Tom Scharpling, dir.)
- Foster The People "Houdini" (Daniels, dir.)
- Die Antwoord "Fatty Boom Boom" (Ninja, Terence Neale, Saki Fokken Berg, dir.)
- Odd Future "Rella" (Wolf Haley, dir.)
- Tenacious D "Rize Of The Fenix" (Daniels, dir.)
- El-P "The Full Retard" (Timothy Saccenti, dir.)
- Electric Guest "This Head I Hold" (Keith Schofield, dir.)
- Tame Impala "Feels Like..." (Joe Pelling & Becky Sloan, dir.)
- Amanda Palmer "Do It W/ A Rockstar" (Palmer, Coyne, Salisbury, McQuilken, dir.)
- Frank Ocean "Pyramids" (Nabil, dir)
- John Mayer "Queen Of California" (Sam Jones, dir.)
- fun. "We Are Young" (Marc Klasfeld, dir.)
- Florence + The Machine "Lover To Lover" (Vincent Haycock, dir.)
- Pink "Try" (Floria Sigismondi, dir.)
- Lana Del Rey "Ride" (Anthony Mandler, dir.)
- Sigur Ros "Leaning Towards Solace" (Floria Sigismondi, dir.)
