Best Music Videos of 2012

While flipping through this year’s music videos, there were many that entertained us, bored us, made us laugh, made us cry, and all in between. Here, we have a hefty collection of our top favorites, so we present to you Remezcla‘s 15 Best Music Videos of 2012! Happy watching!

15. “Quiero” by Madame Récamier
Dir. by Sofia Garza-Barba
[USA/Mexico]

It’s impossible to not swoon over this one. The Michel Gondry-esque stop-motion video is a charmer and fits perfectly with this alt-pop tune that finds Madame Récamier (real name Gina Recamier) dancing alone in various outfits with a skeleton that eventually comes to life. A voice like hers can do that. I thought about making a comparison to Zooey Deschanel but that would be a disservice to Récamier who is more than simply “indie-rock quirky.” She’s downright magical. -Afroxander

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14. “Tren” feat. Sxrs by Marley Muerto
Dir by Andrés Arizmendy
[Equador]

Marley Muerto’s “Tren” has been deemed our #14 and it’s no surprise. This eerie short film depicts a seemingly general bad day, but as the video moves forward, while moving backwards, it’s easy to realize there is more at play to the story. “Tren” is played entirely on reverse and seems to follow a young women through a 24 hour period. This short, well crafted, and synchronized video is dark, creative and hard to look away from. Spoiler Alert! The woman seems to receive a letter from “MM” that ends up being some kind of hex, reading “TODOS DESEAMOS VIAJAR AL PASADO” (meaning: we all want to travel to the past). Once she reads the letter her entirely bad day takes another direction. This video is entrancing, creative and totally creepy! We love it! -Jordannah Elizabeth

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13. “¿Cómo Puedes Vivir Contigo Mismo?”
by Alex Anwandter
Dir. by 5AM
[Chile]

Latin@ culture tends to either be glamorized – larger than life drag queens looking like tropical island birds – or to take a back seat. Alex Anwandter takes on an honest investigation of the scene in the smartest way possible – by going back to the source, and emulating the film that first examined aspects of queer culture for a mass audience. Yes, “Como Puedes Vivir Contigo Mismo” is a send-up of Paris is Burning – write down to the title screens – and it’s fucking glorious in all its gritty honesty. No drag, no pretty hardbodies, no leather, just vogue and expression. -Matt Barbot

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12. “Same Old” by Audioley
Dir. by Fracaso Productions
[UK / Peru]

It’s been a good year for Francios Peglau. Although, I’m sure he hasn’t noticed and probably doesn’t care that I’ve turned him into my unofficial boyfriend. He’s been rocking the indie waves hard with this years hits, “Salvación Mariachi” and “Everybody Loves Me.” Those videos could be prime contenders for this hefty best of list, but none shine quite as bright as his clever duet with Jules Drade in Audioley. I’m not quite sure how this clip snuck past our editor for sexiest video of the year, but I’m glad it found its way into the final rung. -José Luis Benavides

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11. “Luz de Piedra de Luna” by Javiera Mena
Dir. by Canadá Editorial
[Chile / Spain]

Since she last wielded swords and bedazzled us with her eye-catching accessories in her previous videos, the mistress of disco pop Javiera Mena hypnotizes us in in this video. Directed by the über-skilled audiovisual makers of Canada Editorial, the folks knew that an over-the-top production would would be unnecessary for this lovely chanteuse. Instead, with nice wallpaper, her shadowy silhouette overflowing throughout the clip, and Javiera’s longing and gorgeous intense eyes would be more than enough to mesmerize us all. We’re very charmed. -Isabela Raygoza

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10. “Cuentos” by Quiero Club
Art by Sebastián Hofmann
[Mexico]

Get past the initial shock of watching Mexican indie kids vomiting colored milk and you’ll soon appreciate the artistic poetry of fluids projected in slow-motion. No, seriously, it’s like watching a piece by Salvador Dali come to life. Your initial reaction is one of confusion and disgust followed by morbid curiosity, and finally, appreciation. Except this time it’s all happening with another great song by Monterrey-bred, Mexico City-based indie outfit Quiero Club. -Afroxander

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9. “Tropicalifornia”
by DJ Nu-Mark feat. Quantic
[USA / UK]

Nobody saw this one coming. Out of nowhere this collaboration between the former-Jurassic 5 DJ and our all time favorite borderline Latin digger/producer, Quantic, popped out one day online with the announcement of the single being released in a 10” vinyl record. The tune is pretty cool but the video takes it to the next level by employing cut-and-paste techniques borrowed from hip-hop beat production and resulting in an engaging visualization of the tack-making process where instead of using samples (as you’d expect from these two DJs) they play all the instruments. -Juan Data

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8. “La Agente” by Adrianigual
Dir. by Paulina Giustinianovich & Diego Adrián
[Chile]

If in a strange world where anything could be mutated, including music videos, and somehow The Cure’s “Lovesong” and Carla Morrison’s “Yo Sigo Aquí” bred in one steamy hot night, the mischievously sexy result would be Adrianigual’s “La Agente.” Donning ’80s dark wave-esque clad, the Chilean disco-pop duo lets loose, one dancing, one zoning into the keys, as they (Diego Adrián and Nacho Aedo) surround themselves with a gang of beauts who dance in roughly kaleidoscopic ways where nothing else seems to matter. -Isabela Raygoza

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7. “Daniela” by Kumbia Queers
Dir. by Ezequiel Comeron
[Mexico/Argentina]

This is one of the most beautiful narratives I’ve experienced in the form of a music video. Daniela, the girl the song is named after, is the dream girl of another lady who misses the opportunity to confess her feelings towards her, so it all becomes a sorry missed connection. After years wondering about what ever happened to that lost love (who she actually named Daniela, because after all, it may not be her real name), she unexpectedly reencounters her in a competition for the tenis championship finals, against each other. The video is hilarious, grotesque, and raunchy to the core of Kumbia Queers, and if I may add, it’s also like moral lesson (without trying to be) that says don’t keep shit to yourself before you miss your chance. Forever! -Isabela Raygoza

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6. “Eres Tú” by Carla Morrison
Dir. by Benjamín Estrada
[Mexico]

Earlier this month, Mexico’s Supreme Court ruled that a law banning same-sex marriage in Southern Oaxaca was unconstitutional, putting Mexico on the road to national legalization. I like to think that this adorable Carla Morrison video is entirely responsible for that. -Matt Barbot

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5. “1987” by Campo feat. Jorge Drexler
Dir. by Martín Rivero & Matías
Paparamborda
[Uruguay]

It didn’t win the Latin Grammy for Best Alternative Song (which it totally deserved, if you ask me), but Campo‘s collaboration with Jorge Drexler wasn’t only a great song with some of the best lines ever (“la noche cumple sólo lo que no promete”) it also had a visually stunning video that pays tribute to 1987’s Steven Spielberg. So yeah, in my book, Campo is still a winner in 2012. -Juan Data

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4. “La Bala” by Calle 13
Dir. by Simón Brand
[Puerto Rico]

Although not quite as starkly avant as Kahlil Joseph’s short film for Flying Lotus produced Until The Quiet Comes, the same invisible bullets that Residente raps about fly through space, time, bodies, and souls, destroying what we love with the simple flick of a finger. The violence of our world may never cease, but thankfully there are artists with the power to voice our concern and create something sublime, something poignant and tenacious enough to contrast it all. Calle 13 hasn’t changed too much since he hit us over the head with his one-of-a-kind attitude and approach to lyricism, and this video is absolute proof. -José Luis Benavides

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3. “Ula Ula” by Illya Kuryaki & The Valderramas
Dir. by Luciano Cieza & Hernan Corera
[Argentina]

Illya Kuryaki & The Valderramas aren’t exactly known for their subtlety – the album cover is basically a forest of nipples – but this video completely blows the roof off. What the fuck is even happening? The answer is simple: Everything. Everything is happening. There’s hula hooping. There’s hula dancing and palm trees. There’s swing. There’s psychedelia. There’s child gymnasts. There’s ribbons. There’s fringe and sunglasses. In my humble opinion, “Ula Ula” is the video on this list most purely devoted to just being fun. It’s fun as hell. -Matt Barbot

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2. “Jengibre” by Alika & Nueva Alianza
Dir. by Eric Dawidson
[Argentina]

Besides the amazing photography and Alika‘s perfect flow over a dope beat, the key to “Jengibre”‘s success was in the extreme contrast between the desolated landscape of the poor, underdeveloped Argentine north where Inca-influenced ruins can still be found next to immense salt deserts, and the practicing of modern urban disciplines like break-dancing, parkour and freestyle BMX stunt riding. Since Soda Stereo‘s ’80s classic “Cuando Pase El Temblor,” nobody had been able to make the Argentine extreme north-west look so amazingly cool on video. -Juan Data

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1. “Simiolo” by Dengue Dengue Dengue
Dir. by Mikael Stornfelt
[Peru]

The cultural embeds of Peru is a lot of things and mystical. From its dignified ’70s cumbia and chicha element, its effervescent colorful expressions of art and traditional garb, its medicinal and holistic cacti that provide otherworldly conceptions of the world, to the ancient ruins and teachings of the Incas, this land is truly enchanted. And in just three minutes, that’s exactly what ñu-cumbia DJ/producer duo Dengue Dengue Dengue astonishingly demonstrates us on our screens: rituals, shamans, sexuality, more cowbell, evolution, and utter-bliss fun. Learn, get aroused, become connected, and reflect. It’s all in there! What more can one ask for in a music video? “Simiolo” the video and song is an ultra win in all known directions and we applaude. -Isabela Raygoza

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