10. With Confidence - Moving Boxes (ASL Video)
Why? This one pretty well speaks for itself. Big ups to With Con for learning American Sign Language and doing a video with the band signing all the lyrics for their hearing impaired fans. Bonus points awarded to drummer Josh's Seaway shirt.
9. Grayscale - Fever Dream
Why? After placing 3rd on this exact list last year, Grayscale is one of two bands to repeat this list on back to back years. Last year was an anthem for self-love, this year it's this creepy flick for the song Fever Dream. Yeah in case you couldn't tell by the thumbnail, it's creepy. The group filmed it in a supposed haunted house and they have a great behind the scenes on YouTube that had them questioning if it was indeed haunted.
8. Weezer - Africa
Why? Okay. So... Weezer has been teasing us with this cover for years and finally in 2018 we got a video for it. So what happens when Weezer caves and finally gives us the cover that fans have been asking for for years? Well they decide to parody their own video (The Sweater Song) and since you're doing a parody you have to get the parody king himself, Weird Al, to play Rivers Cuomo don't you? Most excellent.
7. Real Friends - Me First
Why? Firstly, this is a really emotional song. Real Friends usually keeps meaning ambigious but given lead singer Dan's struggles with mental health issues, to me it's about not putting yourself second, make sure you take care of your own health. So does the video mirror that? Nope not at all. It's about a lady murdering her home staff (the band) after chasing them through the house with an axe. Unlike Grayscale above though, this is done for humour as we see in the final act as the band's decapitated heads finish singing the song on a silver platter. Bonus points for the obvious comic book inspiration.
6. As It Is - The Stigma (Boys Don't Cry)
Why? Yet another emotional song about the nature of toxic masculinity that society currently forces upon us. As It Is are doing their best to put an end to it with this gem of a song and accompanying video that sees a militaristic teacher at a boarding school stripping students of their identities and telling them what they need to be and how they need to act. The band put it best when describing the song "In these increasingly disconnected times, where empathy is seemingly on a decline at many levels of everyday modern life, it is vital to stand up against such outdated tropes".
5. Fall Out Boy - Wilson (Expensive Mistakes)
Why? If you like infomercials, like my fiance does then this is the video for you! Fall Out Boy reference their past eras in the video featuring Patrick's severed hand from the Young Blood Chronicles and the sheep from the Infinity On High cover. Overall it's just a fun, quirky video we don't usually get to see from Fall Out Boy, especially this era of Fall Out Boy.
4. Frank Turner - Little Changes
Why? Honestly, I could've used any of Frank's videos from 2018 on this list but I went with Little Changes for a couple reasons, firstly I like awkward choreography. Secondly it's just good clean fun but also speaks to the times we live in. Oftentimes people get so caught up in what people around them are doing we don't stop to focus on what we're doing and making sure we're enjoying our own lives instead of living it through other peoples lens.
3. Fever 333 - Burn It
Why? Obviously not the most political music video of the year, but certainly the most political of our scene. Fever 333 may be more underground for now but this movement is quickly changing as they've notched a Grammy nomination and are preparing to take over the world and become an important voice in it as we await their debut full length "Strength In Numb333rs" in early 2019.
2. Panic! At The Disco - Say Amen (Saturday Night)
Why? Yet again, like Frank Turner I could've used any of Panic's videos this year as all 3 were masterpieces but I decided to use the first one as I love that the music video has been telling a story over several albums starting with This Is Gospel in 2013 and it's sequel The Emperor's New Clothes in 2015. Say Amen acts as a prequel to both and damn the fight scenes are the best I've even seen in a music video.
1. Childish Gambino - This Is America
Why? Well, come on. There's been enough essays written on this video for me to NEED to give you my two cents so I'll leave it at this. This is the song and the video America needed. It hit on all the right chords at the absolute best time. Just like Legend Has It... last year we applaud the stance Donald Glover has taken and gave people a video to look at things a little differently.
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