If anything, this decade has been weird. The daily surrealism of internet content has totally overwhelmed our culture, leaving subtlety by the wayside.
In today's overcrowded media landscape, a Wild West where anything that stands out has the potential to go viral, only that which is strange enough survives. One major window into this techno-dream has been the medium of the music video—if "Video Killed the Radio Star," then the "Internet Killed the Video Star." Since 2010, artists have posted videos online that both feed and respond to the absurdities of contemporary life.
From giant cowboys in the sky to surreal sporting events, here are my picks for the five weirdest music videos of the decade.
5. Grimes - "Genesis"
With 2012's "Genesis," Grimes leaned into the wild possibilities of of the internet. The music video represents a great flattening of old and new, high and low culture, into a bizarre mixture that defies explanation. Cyberpunk style meets medieval weaponry.
4. Fiona Apple - "Every Single Night"
3. Jamie XX - "Gosh"
No CGI here—there is actually a full-scale replica of the Eiffel Tower in China (just as there is a full-scale replica of the Leaning Tower of Pisa in Niles, IL). But why are children dancing around this mysterious man underneath it, you ask? Well, why not?
2. Beach House - "Wishes"
Eric Wareheim of Tim and Eric directed this equally silly and beautiful music video. A live sporting event unlike any other unfolds as actor Ray Wise (famous for his role in Twin Peaks) lip-syncs the dreamy Beach House song.
1. Kirin J. Callinan - "Big Enough"
If the internet is a Wild West, then this video is The Man with No Name. Or rather, No Explanation. Hailing from the kangaroo-filled continent of Australia, Kirin J. Calinan makes me glad the world is big enough for videos like this to exist. Giddy up!
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