By now, you've probably seen the new video for OK Go's "This Too Shall Pass." If you haven't, take the time to get blown away by it before moving on.
Now that we're all caught up, you can appreciate the incredible creation that "This Too Shall Pass" is. The track is from the group's latest album Of the Blue Colour of the Sky, a bubbly, blissful collection of Prince-kissed psychedelia and fizzy-fuzzy new wave grooves. The video is one gigantic Rube Goldberg device, beginning simply with some dominoes falling, and by the end features a smashed piano, an exploding television and the band covered in paint.
It's the latest in a career made up of great video moments for OK Go. They first hopped on the viral train when "A Million Ways" (from their 2005 album Oh No) became a massive Internet hit based mostly on the excellently-choreographed dance carried out by the members of the quartet. They struck gold again in 2006 with "Here It Goes Again," which featured more intense choreography (this time with the aid of treadmills) and has been streamed 50 million times since its release. The success of "This Too Shall Pass" (it already has over one million views in two days) means that they've managed to top themselves twice, which is unheard of. Plus, even the clips that haven't gone viral are pretty amazing (just check out the one they made for Of the Blue Colour of the Sky's first single "WTF?").
It brings up the question: Are OK Go the best video-making artists out there? Artists make videos all the time, but only a select few have strung together truly amazing video histories for themselves. Kanye West is always collaborating with visionary filmmakers and stretching the possibilities of hip-hop videos. He would agree that Beyoncé makes some of the best videos of all time (of all time!), but Lady Gaga would certainly give her a run for her money. On the hip-hop front, Eminem and Lil Wayne have both been a part of a handful of masterpieces, and the clips the Rihanna has made (especially the ones for Rated R) have all been pretty amazing. Rock bands shouldn't be left out in the cold, either, as Paramore, Weezer and Death Cab for Cutie all manage to create videos that tell stories, capture their individual aesthetics and look incredibly cool.
So we ask you: Which artist makes the best videos? Vote below, and if we've forgotten anybody, let us know in the comments!