It’s summery and calming, synchronised to the plinks and plonks of percussion in the track.Ĭodie Childs is Senior Music Researcher at Leland Music. Find out more about their work at .uk. The dreamy Americana style of Michael Nau is represented beautifully here by the naïve and simple animation of Parallel Teeth. The film for “Cranes In The Sky” is a stunning piece of direction: the muted colour palettes and grand settings are awe-inspiring, and the beautifully graceful movements of Solange and her ensemble exude power and elegance.Įmbarrassingly, this is the one and only animated video in this round up. Solange’s album A Seat At The Table seems both a protest and unapologetic celebration of black culture and black women’s powers of expression. This is a simple concept done well for a banging track from LA fuzz pop band, Cherry Glazerr: everyday settings slowly filling with men in red shirts.Ģ016 was a critical year for minority voices in the USA: the ongoing conflict between people of colour and law enforcement, discussions about representation in all industries and deep political divisions resulted in constant shifts in the presentation of art by people of colour. I’m biased (because RTJ = life) but this is simultaneously one of the most stunningly directed and terribly inappropriate clips of 2016.Ĭherry Glazerr – Told You I’d Be With The Guys Kanye does very little, but I’m okay with that. It's a lovely mixture of calming music, funk and soul, with beautiful, insightful, and empowering lyrics. I bought her A Seat At The Table for Mother's Day and she maintains that it's the best Mother's Day present she's ever received. I love this track, and Francis Farewell Starlite’s struts are delightful, but it’s the quasi-90s-era-boy-band moves that keep bringing me back. My mum heard 'Cranes in the Sky' on the radio one day and would NOT stop singing it. Beautiful and simple.įrancis & The Lights feat. Technology meets human movement in this clip for The Chemical Brothers. Soft-light, suits, film grain, almost whispered verses, sax solo and heaps of ‘verb: could it get any more deliciously 80s? And a Carly Rae Jepsen cameo to boot. The two dancers, brilliantly cast here, seem only able to express themselves in the latter universe, perhaps suggesting a freedom not attainable in the real world.įrom the king of choreographed clips. The genius element of this film is the quick switching of environments from a forest setting to a black room. The affection and playfulness just leaves you smiling.

I think it deserves to be in the choreography category because there are several beautiful moments, improvised in feel, of solo and paired dancing. The music itself has a tenderness and sense of hope that marries beautifully with the simplicity of the concept: a couple of guys dancing around in an apartment, having a good time. There’s something just so wonderfully pure about this film. To finish our round up of 2016 music videos we're looking at films with a focus on choreography, as well films with brilliant direction and concepts.

Cranes in the sky genius