News Top Five Videos: Vessels

Those of you who read our recent Top Five Album Covers feature with Rough Trade will know how much we love our lists. We’re working on another now in fact, to find out your favourite album of the year.

Now, a band who may well be featured on the same list next year, is Leeds-based five-piece Vessels, who release their second album ‘Helioscope’ early in 2011 (do you see what we did there, with our amazing link-age powers?).

Here, Martin (guitar, bass, synth) and Tom (guitar, vocals) list five of their favourite music videos ever.

Elliott Smith - Lucky Three (dir. Jem Cohen)

Martin: So this is kinda of cheating as this video contains three songs. But with this particular example of cheating, everyone’s a winner. Elliott Smith made my favourite music in the world and this clip has three of his loveliest songs performed live on an acoustic guitar. It’s simple, honest and heart-wrenchingly beautiful.

Monkey Drummer - Aphex Twin (dir. Chris Cunningham)

Tom: Great to watch the synchronisation of the monkey hitting things and the sounds hitting your ears. It made me notice aspects of the track that I hadn’t heard before, through having the visual cue to point it out. Also good to see how many limbs you’d need to play an Aphex tune. The cock playing the hi-hat is a nice touch as well.

Sufjan Stevens - John Wayne Gacy Jr (dir. Dir: Claire Carré)

Martin: This song is so haunting, touching and devastating all at once - the film captures the mood perfectly. I love the grainy feel of the footage - I guess some of it is super 8/16… Every time I watch this video I want to cry.

Chad Vangaalen - Clinically dead (dir. Chad Vangaalen)

Tom: A one man visionary masterpiece. As if the tune wasn’t sweet enough, the dude animated the whole video for it himself, and every frame is a gem. I dread to think how long it took him, but it was definitely worth it.

Errors - Pump (dir. Danny McConnell)

Martin: What better antidote to the immense melancholy of the previous two clips than this sweet video of a bunch of Glaswegian booners getting jiggy wid it to some prime electropop. Massive tune. Funky vid.