You’re probably expecting a-ha on this one, but nah, we’re going with completely animated music videos here. 720p may be good enough for some people, but you’d be hard-pressed to find much of these in the highest quality I’m aiming for.
We’ve got a good number of underrated, forgotten, and even unknown MVs out there with more than just a good song to back them up, but here’s a humble 10 to start from.
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Moby – Why Does My Heart Feel So Bad?
I don’t know which is the most depressing: the song, the music video, or the fact that I can’t even draw like that.
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Linkin Park – Breaking the Habit
All I seem to hear from Linkin Park fans now is how they miss the “good ol’ days”, and more specifically, the Meteora CD. We didn’t know it then, but 2003 was a good year.
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Pearl Jam – Do The Evolution
Keyword: evolution. That’s all that really needs to be said for this sped-up history lesson. Why are you still reading this? Press play already!
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Gorillaz – Clint Eastwood
Blue holographic ghost-rappers, tombstones, zombie primates, and Michael Jackson references. What would this list be without this classic?
Don’t let the title fool you; despite the immediate “oh, it’s about drugs” explanation you keep hearing, give the song enough credit that it actually goes deeper than “just” that, but then again, interpretations are always going to be different.
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Junior Senior – Move Your Feet
Never had pixel art been more appreciated since Pokémon came out. And now you’re having flashbacks to when you wasted countless minutes (hours?) watching and lip-synching to this, waiting for that last “…yeah!”
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The Supermen Lovers (feat. Mani Hoffman) – Starlight
There’s just something about a skeleton in a sombrero that gets me replaying this again, and never have top comments on a Youtube video been more accurate.
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Morcheeba – Enjoy the Ride
Morcheeba gives us an imaginative lesson in necromancy and ritual summoning, while I wonder why I didn’t go to art school, instead. Don’t try this at home, kids! Headstones are not surfboards.
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Britney Spears – Break the Ice
The Blackout era might’ve been the most troubling time for our Princess of Pop, but her music definitely delivered. Britney goes Ghost in the Shell on this and as far as I know, she’s the first female popstar to have one completely animated MV.
The last single released from that album, Break the Ice sees SuperSpySpears going Alias in a laboratory filled with Britclones all while teaching us how to “smize” after we’ve killed the Roboboss.
And jumping out of a building called Victory? What do you mean this video isn’t cryptic?
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Daft Punk – Something About Us
We’ve all seen lists like this that give (well-deserved) nods to One More Time, but some people aren’t even fully aware of Interstella 5555, which is basically the graphical representation of Daft Punk’s (perfect and flawfree) Discovery album – each song being animated as a particular part of the film.
Something About Us rarely gets a mention, but luckily I’m here to bring some electro-funk sadness into your lives.
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Ryan Woodward – Thought of You
Sometimes all you need is the simplest idea and a dance lesson to have the most impact, and hey, a little anatomy practice goes a long way. The song’s not bad, too.
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