Our 30 Favorite Music (and Music Related) Videos of 2023
Looking back on a visual year of hip-hop realism, nature porn and Oz cosplay rules
So, for the title here, dig the semantics: I had to be up front ‘cause some of these videos actually don’t have a note of music in them, but are definitely related to the music world.
I figured for the fellow music heads out there, why not delve beyond songs and learn something now and then?
Without necessarily trying, I managed to keep a range of styles and interests here too, including pop, rap, rock, classical, metal, folk, jazz, punk, painting, sign language, poetry and ambient music. There’s also a playground anthem, Wizard of Oz fandom, sobriety struggles, props for the suburbs, gorgeous nature porn, gentrification anxiety, shoplifting ethics, inanimate object horror, a fierce Russian dissident, a tearful memory of a friend, a post-apocalyptic love song, animal transformation / shapeshifting, a prison break-in and an anti-anti-LGBTQ+ taunt. Hope that’s enough variety for you.
Nothing from TikTok this time even though that’s obviously a huge part of the music ecosphere, but other parts of social media are important too so there’s Facebook and Instagram in the mix.
And of course, I missed a lot, but so does everyone else, right? I’m a fan and consumer myself so don’t be shy about telling me what I missed and what should be here, too.
Even my editor chided me about missing “Vampire” – I like the song and its fourth wall break-down there, but thought these others were a little better and most were in need of more attention. Hopefully, you’ll get steered in some interesting directions.
1. Marshall Allen “Sun Ra Arkestra’s 99-year-old director says musical inspiration keeps him energized”
Thanks to the good people at Philadelphia Inquirer, specifically Jenna Miller, Elizabeth Robertson and Vernon Clark, we get a brief but tantalizing glimpse of this soon to be centenarian at home. Surrounded by Ra memorabilia and artwork, he tells of first meeting Ra and being mystified by him. As for his longevity, here’s his thinking: “I was so wrapped up in music that I didn’t have the time to go out there and destroy myself.”
VIDEO: Marshall Allen “Sun Ra Arkestra’s 99-year-old director says musical inspiration keeps him energized”
2. Ólafur Arnalds “live from Hafursey, in Iceland for Cercle”
The Icelandic composer plus a drummer and string trio are filmed in a desolate yet beautiful area surrounded by a mountain and volcano. With stunning film work (in part done by flying drones), we see the vast landscape in an unique way that gives wonderful context for the sad, lovely work of the composer, who dons a pull-over cap, jacket and gloves to stay comfortable in the harsh environs. As the cameras zoom away, he and the ensemble are truly alone and far and away from civilization yet buoyed by the music. And at the end, the nice people who made the whole show possible give him some noise-canceling headphones and a mythic piece of local geology.
VIDEO: Ólafur Arnalds “live from Hafursey, in Iceland for Cercle”
3. Caterina Barbieri “Patch Notes”
FACT magazine takes the synth artist to Sicily’s Mount Edna for another geographic session. Unlike Arnalds, she’s all alone (except for the camera crew) as if she was performing for the mountains or directly the natural habitat around here, which includes an active volcano, complete with lava flow. Which makes her pretty badass, right?
VIDEO: Caterina Barbieri “Patch Notes”
4. Danny Brown “Jenn’s Terrific Vacation”
One of modern rap’s great jokers gets serious. Gentrification is made all the more real by having a B&W video done all in a living room with DB and his ‘granny’ getting literally picked apart by anonymous white hands.
VIDEO: Danny Brown “Jenn’s Terrific Adventure”
5. Nandi Bushell “ROCK – Top 5 Rock Drum Introductions”
Already a drumming legend, having gone to battle with her idol David Grohl (and more than held her own), she now enters her teen years and showcases chops she’s copied from Grohl along with Ringo, Ben Thatcher (Royal Blood), Neil Peart and John Bonham, all the time radiating a huge smile and reeling off effortless stick flips. Thing is, seeing her play up close, we also get to appreciate the complexities of the musicianship we might take for granted otherwise on “Come Together” and “Fool in the Rain.” No wonder that drum and cymbal companies sponsor her efforts. You’d think an enterprising band would hire her but at this point, she doesn’t really need anyone else.
VIDEO: Nandi Bushell “ROCK – Top 5 Rock Drum Introductions”
6. Kate Davis “Monster Mash”
At first, you think that it’s too much visual data’s getting stuffed into this wonderful pop confection, like they couldn’t decide which videos and graphics to use so they slathered a bunch of photo/video/audio programs together. But after a while, it’s invigorating. Worth rewatching, even if you feel like you’re succumbing to ADD while looking at it.
VIDEO: Kate Davis “Monster Mash”
7. Lucy Dacus “Night Shift”
This starts out stunning right away- Dacus watches two Witched Witches of the West smooch and is heart-broken and jealous. That itself could have been an amazing Tik Tok clip but then we see that there’s a Wizard of Oz convention going on around her, with Tin Men, Lions, Flying Monkeys and other famous characters from the film but Dacus can only mope through the landscape, hurt and dejected. At least until she finds two talismen- a high-heeled ruby-studded shoe and an unclaimed witches hat. Here, Dorothy wanders around confused and limping since she’s missing a shoe while Dacus dons the witches apparel and suddenly feels empowered. And yes, they do meet up at the end and get to smooching for a happy ending but we also see the original Witched Witches where one tells something to the other which she can’t go along with, making us wonder what could be so off putting. Two fun-fact pieces of addenda: 1) Judy Garland (the original celluloid Dorothy) was actually friends with Margaret Hamilton (the original Wicked Witch), nicely reflecting Dacas’ own ending here, 2) there actually is a Wizard of Oz convention (aka OzCon), which just convened again a few months ago, just after Dacus’s video came out.
VIDEO: Lucy Dacus “Night Shift”
8. Chase Dobson “The Mechanics of Time Travel”
Entire album visualizers are ambitious but not anything new- Beyonce, Janelle and Kendrick have all done them and to be fair, did a better job than here. But Dobson’s “hazy analog synth-driven journey” is definitely enhanced by Alex Buksdorf’s visuals, which gives us beautiful, sweeping, bird’s eye (aka drone) views of deserts, mountains, seas/oceans. Unlike Arnalds or Barbieri’s videos above, no one populates the landscapes and for most of the 40 minute video, the closest we come to civilization are the occasional car or boat, looking like ants and fish. Then about 3/4 of the way in, Buksdorf zeroes in on houses and small towns for a few minutes and then draws back to the landscapes as if he (or the mood of the album) has had enough of those and is ready to shy away back to nature again. As such, a nice respite from city life.
VIDEO: Chase Dobson “The Mechanics of Time Travel”
9. Doja Cat “Attention” / “Paint The Town Red” / “Demons” | 2023 VMAs”
Why bother with the VMA’s unless you’re an industry insider or fan (even for the later, you’ll just want to stan for your favorite artist’s clip)? Still, she makes the most of her 5 minute medley, fitting in enough drama for a whole concert. First she’s working the crowd, looking like a sexy school teacher, followed by a team of synchronized, reddened dancers, then she strips down, moves to another stage and works the camera, insisting “BITCH, I SAID WHAT I SAID!” over a Dionne Warwick sample. Then with hair flowing and dancers seeming to have multiplied, she struts across and owns the stage with “Demons,” plowing through a storm of smoke and paper scraps. The 8.5 million views there seem kind of low for a show highlight but not too shabby for a 10+ year vet who was going through burnout only two years ago.
VIDEO: Doja Cat “Attention” / “Paint The Town Red” / “Demons” | 2023 VMAs”
10. Hamell on Trial “To Get Thru”
Is stealing ever justified, especially if you’re a struggling single mom? He puts the answer to fans and they have conflicting answers.
VIDEO: Hamell On Trial “To Get Thru”
11. The Hives “Bogus Operandi”
Nice to have these Swedish garage rockers back in such an unclassy way. Inanimate objects attack and kill the band (including a shovel and spoon) in a cabin in the woods, turning them into zombies. John Carpenter’s definitely a good role model for them.
VIDEO: The Hives “Bogus Operandi”
12. The Last of Us, Episode 3: “Long, Long Time”
From the moment in the show where Bill (Nick Offerman) and Frank (Murray Bartlett) take turns playing the Linda Ronstadt classic badly on piano and then magically bond, you already had the feeling that you were watching a soon-to-be-viral moment. And you were. We hear the song again at the end, played in a car as protagonists Elle and Joel drive away, just to add to the poignancy. Corny? Sure. Moving regardless? Hell yes. End result? A 4900% increase in play from the song and a thumbs-up from Linda. See the fascinating backstory from Insider about how the song came into play here too, thanks to a tip from a Sirius XM DJ.
AUDIO: The Last of Us, Episode 3: “Long, Long Time”
13. Vera Farmiga “#Duality, @Slipnot”
For us horror fans, she’s a legend, if not a goddess, residing over the Conjuring series with Patrick Wilson. As she’s done before, Farmiga proves that she’s a multi-talented threat and scores infinite cool points by belting out metal shrieks alongside her keyboard-playing hubbie for the good people at Rock Academy. Makes you think that Slipnot should tour with her, if not let her take over. And just to show that she’s a good sport, she later switches roles and lets him howl.
14. Robert Fripp “Fripp pays tribute to Wetton – Robert Fripp & David Singleton – The Magic Bag, Ferndale – 4 Oct 2022”
Uncle Bobby is always astute and witty but here in this Q&A with an audience, he’s also very moving and even tearful about his old mate.
VIDEO: Robert Fripp “Fripp pays tribute to Wetton – Robert Fripp & David Singleton – The Magic Bag, Ferndale – 4 Oct 2022”
15. Jimi Hendrix “From the Monkees to the Hollywood Bowl”
After stealing the show at the Monterey Pop Festival, the great guitarist’s next move was as an opening act (briefly) for a TV boy band, albeit one with wonderful songs. The unlikely hook-up still boggles the mind over a half century later. Brief archive footage from Mitch, Noel and their producer shows them all bemused or frustrated by the whole thing, with disagreements over who the hell made it happen. Mostly, we hear from Micky Dolenz, who caught a pre-fame Jimi and became an instant fan, plus their publicist, Barbara Hamaker, who was also blown away by him, even now saying that he was the real deal compared to the headlining act she repped. Both also agree that off-stage, Jimi was the polar opposite of his rock star persona- sweet, shy, reserved, meaning that he was a great actor too. And no, the Daughter of the American Revolution weren’t the ones that yanked the Experience off the tour.
VIDEO: Jimi Hendrix “From the Monkees to the Hollywood Bowl”
16. Kosha Dillz “Bring the Family Home (Israel-Palestine Song) #bringthemhome”
Sporting a yarmulke, the Perth Amboy rapper spits rhymes in a synagogue and in front of knish haven Yonnah Schimmel’s and slaps down two media stars. “Roger Waters, you can suck my dick for the rest of your life.” “And Mia Khalifa I hope you choke on dead terrorist D#c#” (that would be the Lebanese porn star who defended Hamas).
VIDEO: Kosha Dillz “Bring the Family Home (Israel-Palestine Song) #bringthemhome”
17. Jesse Malin “Jesse Malin – The Fine Art of Self Destruction – Lonely Process”
To toast the 20th anniversary of his solo debut, NYC mainstay Malin filmed a stripped down version of the title song, done just with vocals and piano as he wanders around his big white room with photos, flyers, memories strewn along the floor. Weeks later, a spinal disease would rob him of the use of his legs. Maybe it’s foreshadowing but the new version somehow peers into the near future and his new, restricted reality, also bringing out the sad beauty of the song even more. And anyone who wants to help with Malin can join Joey Ramone’s family in bidding for the punk legend’s wardrobe, which funds JM’s recovery.
VIDEO: Jesse Malin “Jesse Malin – The Fine Art of Self Destruction – Lonely Process”
18. Mega Ran “Lovable & Capable / Recess”
Sad to say, there are still idiots out there who think they’re music fans and still think all rap is violent and crude. So here’s one to melt their tiny little brains- a joyous singalong for tykes everywhere. One mystery is why this only has about 13K hits by now- this is such an obvious kiddie anthem that should be blasted, or at least chanted, at playgrounds everywhere.
VIDEO: Mega Ran “Lovable & Capable / Recess”
19. Megan Thee Stallion “Cobra (Rock Remix) [feat. Spiritbox]”
One of Houston’s finest likes to make a name for herself by pushing the envelope and she doesn’t disappoint here with a banging metal version of her song. Her voluptuous body crawls a giant snake and just as the song says, she sheds her skin and becomes the reptile herself, again and again, in a glass cage and in front of a peering group taking phone photos no less. You can say it’s lazy (or cheap) to repeat the footage again and again but I say that it’s worth seeing on repeat.
VIDEO: Megan Thee Stallion “Cobra (Rock Remix) [feat. Spiritbox]”
20. Metallica “72 Seasons (Official ASL Interpretation)”
You gotta hand it to the ol’ head bangers. Here’s an unique promo idea for their latest album- having the whole thing done with ASL (American Sign Language) versions. This one in particular stands out, thanks to Amber Galloway, who literally head bangs and air guitars through the instrumental passages. As one commentator points out, ASL isn’t just about signing but also having the appropriate facial expressions, which Galloway nails.
VIDEO: Metallica “72 Seasons (Official ASL Interpretation)”
21. aja monet “the devil you know”
A nine minute B&W mini-film from this inspired, award-winning Nuyorican Poets Cafe alum, backed by blasts of joyful free jazz via a six piece band led by fiery trumpeter Chief Xian aTunde Adjuah. She starts out calmly, calling out corporate greed and cultural deprivation and calling for environmental harmony, occasionally rising in anger and righteousness, intercut with archival 70s footage of African-American crowds who likely heard some of the same pleas then and are still waiting for them to be answered. Plus a warning towards the end about the price of inaction: “silence is a noise too.”
VIDEO: aja monet “the devil you know”
22. JOELL ORTIZ x L’ORANGE “OG”
An actual rap song praising life in the ‘burbs, while paying tribute to OG’s and grateful for escaping his roots. Dude gets an A for honesty and more rappers should fess up like he does.
VIDEO: JOELL ORTIZ x L’ORANGE “OG”
23. Joan Gili Prohens “Ascensión por Chimo Pérez”
Unless they’re Bob Ross, what could be more boring than watching a painter at work? This 27-minute documentary manages to capture your attention by showing the painstaking detail, intricacies and layering that goes into one canvas, a portrait of a tree no less. Drawing us in deeper is James Murray’s score (which you can hear by itself on BandCamp), that manages to be ambient and dynamic, reflecting Perez’s painstaking work that we see.
VIDEO: Joan Gili Prohens “Ascensión por Chimo Pérez”
24. “Pussy Riot’s Powerful Message to Vladimir Putin | Nadya Tolokonnikova | TED”
These Talks are infamous for being self-congratulatory, self-evident feel good fests, but not this one. A teenager runs away from Siberia to Moscow, ironically believing that she would find freedom there. She did manage to live the bohemian lifestyle, studying philosophy, stealing food and taking on a dictator in a small but meaningful way. Six years later (in 2012), her performance art band would storm an historic church and call out Putin, leading to her arrest on her daughter’s fourth birthday. As she sat in a small cage in a courtroom, surrounded by guards and a vicious dog, she wondered if all the effort had been worth it. Eleven years later, she escaped to the West, became a wanted criminal in Russia, started a Russian independent media outlet and raised millions for Ukraine, Planned Parenthood and Unicorn DAO, an art collective to support women and the LGBTQ+ community. As such, she can now say ‘yes, it WAS worth it.’ Near the end, she warns Putin and his goons, “… in your final hour, when you pray to whoever you’re going to be praying to, know that she [God] is on our side.” That, my friends, is a mic drop.
VIDEO: “Pussy Riot’s Powerful Message to Vladimir Putin | Nadya Tolokonnikova | TED”
25. Thelonious Monk “Rewind & Play | Full Film | AfroPoP”
In Alan Gomis’ unearthed nearly hour long documentary, we see the master pianist in Paris in 1969, a city that normally honored the jazz greats, capping off his European tour that year. In front of the TV lights, Monk drips in sweat and seems deeply lost in thought when not unleashing his seemingly simplistic, eccentric solo playing. The French ‘interviewer’ (not worth naming) is painfully ignorant and hurtful in his comments but Monk seems to take his idiocy in stride. A few years later, Monk’s recording career and live appearances would be over. Other than the cringe-worthy pseudo-journalist, this is a fascinating portrait of the near-end of his career.
VIDEO: Thelonious Monk “Rewind & Play | Full Film | AfroPoP”
26. Sparks “The Girl Is Crying In Her Latte Starring Cate Blanchett”
Just by standing there and staring at us and occasionally swaying her arms and shimmying, the Oscar winner exudes total freakin’ coolness. Makes you think that the billing here should have been reversed.
VIDEO: Sparks “The Girl Is Crying In Her Latte Starring Cate Blanchett”
27. Sub Radio “send this to your pride parade plus 1 #parody #poppunk #alternativemusic”
Brilliant trolling courtesy of a DC pop band. They start off all Christmas-y, chatting with a college roomie about taking on “the fascists, the bigots and the assholes” before revving up the BPM to punk speed and a special plea- don’t frighten or trigger Florida’s governor with any gay references. They even make it more explicit in their Twitter/X post: “definitely do NOT send this to @RonDeSantis.” And if you need the full length version, you can get that on Facebook. May the pudding-finger homophobe rot in hell.
VIDEO: Sub Radio “send this to your pride parade plus 1 #parody #poppunk #alternativemusic”
28. Tay627 “NYC‘s Boldest (Shot in Rikers Island)”
Doing time for gun possession, this up and coming rapper took the bold idea to film a video inside the infamous prison (slated to finally close in a few years), sneaking film equipment in to do so. Got the attention of Ice Spice’s director, but also got him monitored around the clock, plus worries that he might be targeted by law enforcement.
VIDEO: Tay627 “NYC‘s Boldest (Shot in Rikers Island)”
29. Amon Tobin “hole in the ground”
Along with Four Tet and fellow Canuck DJ Kid Koala, AT continues to be one of the most innovative tech artists, sonically and visually. It’s a nature film. It’s a horror film. It’s a sci-fi film. It’s all of the above. And yeah, the creature/structure/whozit looks a lot like the alien from Nope (which probably ain’t a coincidence).
VIDEO: Amon Tobin “hole in the ground”
30. Young M.A. “Open Scars”
After over two years off the scene, the NY rapper returns to address her absence and isn’t shy about confronting her demons. She’s had drinking problems and talks about meeting her shrink and trying to settle her life: “I let my fans down/I lost my faith and I couldn’t understand how” (nicely framed in this Fader article). Very brave. Wish that more musicians had the same guts to own up and talk about this. Might inspire some fans to do the same when they’re also down and out.
VIDEO: Young M.A. “Open Scars”
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