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BLOG: The 11 best music videos of modern times

MusicRadar has chosen its favourites, but what are yours?

The MusicRadar Team, Tue 8 Jul 2008, 11:37 am UTC

BLOG: The 11 best music videos of modern times

Björk's All Is Full Of Love - directed by Chris Cunningham

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Film director Michel Gondry is rightly celebrated for his fantastic (and often fantastical) music videos, garnering much respect from fans and fellow film-makers alike. However, when we read Gondry's own 25 favourite music videos (in a list he compiled for Entertainment Weekly) we were struck by how many of the videos mentioned were 'classics'.

There's can be no denying that the videos to Michael Jackson's Billie Jean and Peter Gabriel's Sledgehammer are brilliant, but surely there have been some works of genius in the last decade or so? For MusicRadar, the answer is a definite 'yes' – and you can see our favourites below. Some of them, of course, are the work of Gondry himself…

Let Forever Be by The Chemical Brothers – directed by Michel Gondry
The video for Let Forever Be epitomises everything Michel Gondry is known for: surreal imagery, brilliant set design and camera trickery without the use of excessive CGI to name a few. Illustrating a girl's dream, the video builds a spectacular sense of fear and foreboding, and The Chemical Brothers' music proves the perfect soundtrack to a nightmare – in the best possible way.

Weapon Of Choice by Fatboy Slim – directed by Spike Jonze
Spike Jonze has something of a penchant for making videos that look like musicals – he directed the video to Björk's 1995 track It's Oh So Quiet too – but his video for Fatboy Slim's Weapon Of Choice is surely his best effort. Not only is it noted for its superb choreography, but also for introducing a whole new generation to the talents of Mr Christopher Walken. A generation who, presumably, think Walken can fly.

Michel Gondry on Fell In Love With A Girl

"Lego, the company, refused to endorse the video or help us. We had to pay for every single box we used, because they thought the music of the White Stripes was not matching their image. And then [later] they asked the White Stripes to support their brand, but it was too late. The White Stripes were not into doing that anymore. But I have to say, I'm still pro-Lego."

Knights Of Cydonia by Muse – directed by Joseph Kahn
Just when you think Muse can't get any more theatrical, they release a video featuring an armour-clad space princess riding a unicorn. With a nod to Tarantino's exercise-in-homage Kill Bill, director Kahn manages to fuse spaghetti-western, kung-fu, Soviet and even sci-fi influences in this epic video – and, bizarrely, it all gels quite nicely (though we don't think he'd have gotten away with it if it wasn't a Muse track...). According to a contest run by the band, there are 15 major movie references in the Knights Of Cydonia video – can you spot them all?

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User comments (7)

  • TheEvilForcesOfSkeletor

    Avatar for TheEvilForcesOfSkeletor

    Mon 21 Jul 2008, 11:16 pm UTC

    Nirvana's Smells Like Teen Spirit has to be up there. If only for the bit where that cheerleader shakes her pom poms in slow motion. mmm

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  • SimonJohnOwen

    Avatar for SimonJohnOwen

    Thu 10 Jul 2008, 4:15 pm UTC

    Madonna - Bedtime Stories
    QOTSA - 3s and 7s
    Geri Halliwell - Scream if You Wanna Go Faster
    Disturbed - Land of Confusion
    Linkin Park - In the End
    AFI - Miss Murder
    IIO - Rapture
    REM - Drive

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  • murphyia

    Avatar for murphyia

    Wed 9 Jul 2008, 12:54 pm UTC

    What about the video to Parabola by Tool? Sends shivers down my spine every time I see it...

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  • guzziuk

    Avatar for guzziuk

    Wed 9 Jul 2008, 10:37 am UTC

    Check out the video of Tchavolo Schmitt and Fapy Lafertin on YouTube -
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SdJU9qUv50g - for a muzo this has to be some of the best music footage ever seen and those guys are phenomenal players. And for a change theres no shots of a birds backside or boobs when there is something good happening onstage - (the cameramen were threatened with violence if that happened!)

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  • ihitterdal

    Avatar for ihitterdal

    Tue 8 Jul 2008, 8:18 pm UTC

    There's an unofficial video of Szamar Madar by Venetian Snares. Does that count?

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  • rabbitrabbit

    Avatar for rabbitrabbit

    Tue 8 Jul 2008, 3:07 pm UTC

    Nice list,
    My favourite White Stripes video is 7 Nation Army
    http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=VutMLnjXTY4
    It's better than the Lego one IMHO.

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  • tentacle

    Avatar for tentacle

    Tue 8 Jul 2008, 1:08 pm UTC

    Check out Cunningham's other Aphex Twin vid, Come to Daddy. It still freaks meout everytime I watch it.
    http://youtube.com/watch?v=5Az_7U0-cK0

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