Best Music Videos, 2011: My Top 10 Honorable Mentions

"Hey Mama" by Mat Kearney. This Nashville-based singer-songwriter wrote a nice song about his wife. Darkhearted cynics beware; it's a feelgood video. In black and white. Seriously, it's such a cheerful romp, you expect the damn thing to burst into technicolor any second. Oh, and he's HOT.

"Every Minute Alone." WhoMadeWho. Men are crying. No, weeping. About something.  You'll be tempted to click away. Don't do it. I promise you'll be laughing at them before the end of this clever little video by a terrific, but unknown (in the U.S, at least) Scandinavian band.

"Romance" by Wild Flag. These indie rockers deliver the goods; a bold, raw sound and a kick ass song with a killer hook. The video didn't need to be anything more than pure, goofy fun. The world would be a more interesting place if people wore masks for something other than Halloween.

"Don't Turn the Lights On" by Chromeo. The wistfulness (yeah, it's there between synthesizers) of this electrofunk duo's song is complemented by the corny sight gags of the video. It's hard not to be charmed.

"Put Me to Sleep" by Porcelain Raft. The sexy guy behind Porcelain Raft is Mauro Remiddi. What happens when you put a fully-clothed sexy guy in a tub of weird milky water and then shoot an entire three-minute video of him thrashing about? He'll be wet, but he'll still be sexy.

  

"Save the World" by Swedish House Mafia. They are Axwell, Steve Angello and Sebastian Ingrosso. They are Swedish. And apparently they believe dogs will save the world. Did anyone ever think it would be cats?

"Call Your Girlfriend" by Robyn. Another Swede makes the list. Robyn's lack of popularity in the U.S. is dumbfounding. She makes great music. The video is a stunning one-take wonder. Watch this woman own the room.

"The Muppet Show Theme Song" by OK Go & The Muppets. The members of OK Go have never been afraid to have fun and look a little silly in their videos. They are, perhaps, the perfect choice to cover the old Muppets theme and assist in their comeback. The collaboration is colorful chaos.

"Born This Way." A Lady Gaga lipdub. A UK Facebook buddy of mine put this together for his YouTube channel. Lady Gaga's video for the song is another overproduced behemoth. This one distills it all down to pure retro joy.

"Don't Play No Games That I Can't Win" by Beastie Boys. These guys came back in a big way in 2011. A great new album and a couple a of excellent videos. This one features gunfights, explosions and zombies. It's all done with... dolls. Directed by Spike Jonze, it's a wee bit on the long side at eleven minutes, but still kinda brilliant anyway.

My dozen favorite videos of the year are coming up in the next post. Stay tuned...