Audio By Carbonatix
Keep Dallas Observer Free
We’re aiming to raise $10,000 by April 26. Your support ensures Dallas Observer can continue watching out for you and our community. No paywall. Always accessible. Daily online and weekly in print.
Back in the day, there was a place for music videos — on television, and, namely, on the few glorious stations that played them. For the most part, though, those stations are no more — or they’ve changed formats so much that the remnants of their storied pasts have become nothing but a distant memory.
Sure enough, in recent years, the plight of music video airplay has been well-documents, so no need to rehash that here.
Surprisingly enough, though, the art form still persists. And on the smallest of levels, even. Bands without labels deals or even full-length albums to their name still release music videos to go with their music — mostly, one assumes, because it still, on some level, helps on the marketing end of things. And, hey, for people looking to fill up content on a local music blog, they can be a saving grace — especially on a slow news day.
But let’s not completely dismiss the art form: In 2010, a number of local artists released music videos — some pretty good, and others not so much. But the good ones, for the most part, were pretty great — and, in most cases, they merit second viewings. So, without further ado, here we’re presenting you with our picks for the 20 best local music videos of 2010. Give them a watch after the jump. And enjoy the visual goodness.
20. Spector 45 — “Try, Try, Try”
19. Mount Righteous — “Suburban Homesick Blues”
18. Summer Ames — “Capture”
17. Ishi — “Pastel Lights”
16. Nervous Curtains — “All Yesterday’s Parties”
15. Norah Jones — “Young Blood”
14. The Orbans — “Like A Liar”
13. Jonathan Tyler & The Northern Lights — “Pardon Me”
12. Astronautalis — “The Wordsmith and His Sons”
11. Midlake — “Rulers, Ruling All Things”
10. Hoyotoho — “Virgin Eyes”
9. Riverboat Gamblers — “Robots May Break Your Heart”
8. Cocky Americans — “Romance Tried To Kill Me”
7. The Burning Hotels — “Allison”
6. True Widow — “AKA”
5. Sarah Jaffe — “Clementine”
4. Neon Indian — “Sleep Paralysist”
3. St. Vincent — “Laughing With A Mouth of Blood”
2. Smile Smile — “Truth on Tape”
1. Erykah Badu — “Window Seat”