The Best Music Videos of 2014 (So Far)

A couple of decades ago, all it took was a nice camera and some clean looking backdrops to make a music video that people would want to watch. Now it seems like we've seen it all. There are so many videos being uploaded to YouTube every second that standing out gets harder each year, but that hasn't stopped people from trying.

Somehow, artists and directors keep surprising us. Through wild imagery, fun concepts, and beautiful cinematography, the best music videos of 2014 widen the gap between amateur YouTube clips and pieces of art that enhance the experience of listening to a song. You might not even like some of the songs on this list, but after watching the videos a few times, you'll be tempted to change your mind. Here are the best videos of 2014, so far.

Director: David Wilson

Arcade Fire's "We Exist" stars actor Andrew Garfield and follows (as the band captioned on YouTube) "the story of a young person's struggle with gender identity." However, almost as soon as the video came out, people began voicing disappointment over the video's authenticity and intentions online.

In particular, Against Me! frontwoman Laura Jane Grace took to Twitter, asking why they didn't get "an actual 'Trans' actor instead of Spider-Man." Others online pointed out transgender stereotypes in the video that could be seen as offensive. Director David Wilson then released a statement letting people know that the team had considered a trans actor but were convinced by Garfield that he could execute the vision for the video.

In the end, both the character and the video triumph despite struggle and misunderstanding. Arcade Fire and David Wilson carefully treaded the controversy and Garfield ascends onto the stage with the band for a truly special, endearing moment in music video history.—Cedar

Director: Dori Oskowitz

It always sucks when you really love a song and then the video ends up killing your vibe. Mapei’s “Don’t Wait” was one of my favorite songs of last year, and while the video doesn’t attempt anything too ambitious, it captures the mood of the song perfectly. There’s something almost heartbreakingly pretty about this melody—it’s not exactly happy—it’s deeper than that, and director Dori Oskowitz captured it.—Jacob Moore

Read our interview with Mapei here.

Director: Emil Nava

Sometimes when you hear a song you find yourself fighting a natural instinct telling you to dance, and Kwabs’ video for “Wrong or Right” is the perfect depiction of that. The lead dancer in the video begins having an ordinary evening in front of the television and finds himself taking a journey as he literally follows a path of rhythm, eventually running into other dancers having the exact same experience.—Adrienne

Director:: Carlos Lopez Estrada

Clipping. just love to toy with people's expectations of hip-hop. Set to their unique take on west-coast rap, the video for "Work Work" thankfully avoids two of hip-hop's worst music video stereotypes: the objectification of women and the endorsement of violence. In the video, Cocc Pistol Cree is in charge, pinning Daveed Diggs' jaw to the curb, before shattering his hollow skull in decidedly non-gory fashion. There are a lot messages that can be decoded from the video's subtler touches, but unraveling them is what makes it worth repeat viewings.—Joe Price

Director: Jonathan Turner

Sometimes, music videos succeed by giving you a new take on the song, or showing imagery only partly inspired by it, but sometimes they succeed because they are a full and complete reflection of the song's content and qualities.

"I live on a beach, water surrounds me," sings Glasser, aka Cameron Mesirow, as she inhabits some sort of futuristic house in an endless ocean. The lyrics of the song are full of uncertainty, and from the line, "my home has no shape," onwards, the video reflects that, too. Mesirow navigates an ever-moving, unstable world, which was created by Jonathan Turner for The Creators Project It's a poignant and  unnerving video, bleak despite the shimmering futurism, and a perfect example of song and visuals in total unison.—Constant Gardner

Director: Nathan Brown

Pusha T and his camp are really good at music videos that are simple but hugely effective. "Suicide," just like the videos before it ("Nosetalgia," "Pain," "King Push"), is another great bare-bones effort.

Keeping with the black-and-white aesthetic that's consistent with the entire My Name is My Name campaign, the flashes of Pusha, nude bodies, and mesmerizing effects create a gritty and menacing set of visuals that match Pharrell's production. This perfect pairing makes for a satisfying watch and brings Pusha's aggressive rhymes to life.—Joyce

Director: NORTON

Most of the time it seems that Danny Brown's music videos neglect some of the most compelling elements of his music. With the majority of his videos usually focusing on his wilder, more party-friendly side, it's refreshing to see the video for "25 Bucks" explore his darker side. But, what makes the "25 Bucks" video so goddamn great isn't the subject matter it explores, but how it explores it. The slyly-directed clip features Danny moving through a Detroit household frozen in motion, and it's undeniably interesting to look at just how grim it can be.—Joe Price

Director: Benny Boom

It’s not always about a mind-blowing concept or creating an entirely unique vision. For the “Move That Dope” video, it’s all about style. Pharrell in his Gandalf hat, Future talking on that huge ass cell phone, Pusha rapping in front of a black Jeep, and cameos from Schoolboy and Wiz. The videos that get critically acclaimed these days are all artsy-fartsy. Remember when rap videos used to be fun?—Jacob Moore

Director: Hiro Murai

Having originally built a platform through his prosperous acting career, it only makes sense for Childish Gambino—or Donald Glover—to show off his performance chops every now and then. "Sweatpants" is a mesmerizing, mindbending experience, and one that plays heavily on his emotions as he takes laps around a diner in the middle of the night, discovering nothing but more clones of himself each time around. He enters the room largely apathetic and a bit uncomfortable, but those feelings quickly morph into those of fear and downright anger, making for a riveting visual progression. Director Hiro Murai tacks on a separate—and stunning—clip for "Urn" onto the end of the video, and somehow the juxtaposition works beautifully.—Tim Larew

Check out Childish Gambino's tour blog here.

Director: Ben Dickinson at Ghost Robot

One of Chicago's most promising rising talents, Vic Mensa made a solid impact with INNANETAPE and visuals for the project's lead singles, "Orange Soda" and "Hollywood LA." For a little while though, it was hard to see what his lane was going to be, or if he would even find one at all. That all changed with "Down On My Luck," the wildly successful Stefan Ponce-produced single that commanded attention on its own, but was taken to entirely new levels with the brilliant accompanying video. The clip follows Vic through a night at the club; the twist is that each time something goes wrong, he gets to start his night over again. A clever conept, perfectly executed—Tim Larew

Director: Nabil

With brilliant music videos for almost every piece of music that she's released, FKA twigs has put herself in a position where just an average video won't do. People would be disappointed by anything less than awesome, but fortunately, she delivered again with "Two Weeks." Calling in the directorial talents of Nabil (Frank Ocean, James Blake, Nicki Minaj, Bon Iver) is always a good move, and the pair combine her contortionist-like dancing talents with his love of bold, striking imagery. Twigs is cast as a queen or goddess in a slowly shape-shifting painting, shot in a single frame, as she presides over many mini versions of herself.

Importantly, the video perfectly matches the song's mystical but still highly sensual nature.—Constant Gardner

Director: Ricky Saiz

When A-Trak first shared his video for "Dipshits," he tweeted, "On the real though, do you know how happy I was to get Cam, Just & Juelz back together? I'm doing this on some fan shit." And it shows.

The clip is a celebratory reunion made for fans of Dipset, nostalgic for a time when they reigned supreme. Juelz, Cam, and Jim indulge us, roaming the streets of Harlem and partying in clubs like it's 2003 again. And while it's certainly retro, it never feels outdated. Instead it's a triumphant return, one that the audience has as much fun watching as Dipset clearly had making. —Katie K

Director: Noah Harris

At first glance, this colorful stop-motion animated video is an abstract but fun accompaniment to Julio Bashmore and Jessie Ware's house stormer. It builds to a surreal ending, involving a clapping baby, golden dogs jumping through hoops, and all manner of other craziness, but director Noah Harris revealed in an interview with THUMP that there is a little more than meets the eye.

"The song  is built around a sample of Karen Young, but re-recorded with Jessie Ware. The track itself evolves, but always around the same elements. Visually, this film does the same. It starts with a piece of graphic design, rigidly animated to the track, and this then evolves into three dimensions; the amoeba becoming a sentient graphic form, a constant process of evolution around the same visual themes." If that's too academic for you, Harris adds that it's also about, "sex, drugs, and the all powerful church of rave."

Whichever way you want to take it, it's a great video.—Constant Gardner

Director: Be El Be

The blogosphere has been quick to dub Young Thug as hip-hop's reigning oddball. While the statement can be rather reductive, it's hard to argue with how true it is. The most bizarre aspects of Thug both on and off the mic are what make him one of the most interesting figures we have in hip-hop today. Instead of trying to fight this label, Thug's embraced it (or just completely ignored it and continued to do what he's always done). And there's no better example than his video for "Stoner."

Thug uses visual effects, camera tricks, and Instagram-esque filters to create a trippy, alternate world. With plenty of smoking, hallucinations, and (naturally) a Willie Nelson poster, the video is an entertaining interpretation of the song's message. Most of all though, it's Thug just being a fucking weirdo, and right now, there's honestly nothing better than that.—Katie K

THE BEST YOUNG THUG SONGS THAT AREN'T "STONER" OR "DANNY GLOVER"

Director: Johannes Greve Muskat

Ambitious videos rarely come as well crafted as How To Dress Well's "What Is This Heart?" trilogy. With the final piece of the trilogy yet to come, the videos for How To Dress Well's most recent album all tie together directly. We're yet to see how it ends, but so far we've been given the mostly upbeat "Repeat Pleasure" and the dark second-part "Face Again." Tying directly to the songs as well as each other, they're sharply directed visuals perfectly suited to his deeply emotional music. They're not the easiest to watch videos in the world at points, but director Johannes Greve Muskat has really outdone himself with this heartbreaking short film.—Joe Price

Director: Andrew Donoho

The 17-year-old prodigy out of Atlanta known as Raury burst onto the scene with "God's Whisper," a flawlessly executed visual tastefully depicting rebellious youth culture and providing a glimpse into the Indigo Child lifestyle. The video is vibrant and organic, playing heavily on Raury's quiet confidence and larger than life presence. From his wardrobe and the cast of characters he rolls with, to drinking 40s on the curbside and an electric nighttime bonfire scene, we get the sense that we know Raury well after just four minutes and 39 seconds.

He stares into the camera, emphatically enunciating each word to leave viewers with no doubt that he's pouring his heart into "God's Whisper." It feels spiritual, it feels revolutionary—it feels bigger than him. And with appearances from popular members of Atlanta's hip-hop scene such as the Lucid Twins, Curtis Williams, and Childish Major, it's clear that the city is not only open to Raury's music and movement, they're fully embracing it. When one video can convey such a powerful message and introduce a new artist so concisely, it's truly special.—Tim Larew

Directors: Sofia Mattioli and Cherise Payne

Dancing in music videos has been a highly popular theme recently. Jamie xx, however, managed to interpret this trend in a refreshing and touching way, one that complements his single "Sleep Sound" perfectly. He enlisted London artist/poet Sofia Mattioli to create a set of visuals for the beautiful song, and she found inspiration in an unlikely place—on the train, from a deaf girl.

"I was on a train listening to music, getting deep into it, and this girl started staring at me," said Mattioli. "After a while I took my headphones off and she came up to me, started signing and then wrote me a note to say that she was deaf but could almost feel the music by my movement. The relationship between silence and music is a big part of what I am trying to express with my work."

The result is truly stunning: unrestrained and completely inspired by movements, the people in the video feel the music. It's an incredibly moving video that really showcases the immense power of music.—Joyce