There are 2 Ys in “cryy”: FKA twigs, “sad day” (music video) – “sad day” is one of the best songs from Magdalene, FKA twigs’s 2019 album, and its video further proves her artistry is unparalleled, in part because she is constantly engaging in the work of pushing it. Here she shows off the results of her dedication to learning wushu, a Chinese style of sword fighting, in a video that beautifully visualizes the emotional agitation of a breakup. Directed by Hiro Murai—responsible for Childish Gambino’s unforgettable “This Is America” clip, as well as many episodes of Atlanta, among others—twigs and dancer Teake fight, flight, and move like graceful poetry, her vulnerability on display even as she wields a weapon, occupying that liminal space between power and exposure that made Magdalene so impactful. I cried a little! —Julianne Escobedo Shepherd
Sure: Bon Jovi, “Do What You Can” (music video) – Eleven years ago, New Jersey’s second-favorite musician Bon Jovi bled optimism: “It’s My Life,” made carpe diem sound like a new revelation, and pop-rock radio lovers were sold on the message. In 2020, he’s still an optimist, but a cautious one—volunteering and socially distancing and wearing a mask and parading around an empty Manhattan in the music video for his feel-good single, “Do What You Can.” It’s affecting enough to inspire this blurb, but also… send this man home! Unless Americana riffs are an essential business. To some, I’m sure they are. —Maria Sherman
YES: BTS, “Dynamite” (music video B-SIDE) – Look, is it a cop-out to release two music videos for the same song? Potentially. But most artists aren’t BTS, and most artists don’t require the same sort of constant content creation to satiate their massively dedicated global audience. This video is just as charming as the first, if not more so—their personalities are on full display here. It feels like a behind-the-scenes clip, in some way, like each boy was given playful, loose guidance and allowed to behave as silly as possible. I’m not immune to their powers, nor would I ever want to be. —MS
Y: Sad13, “Hysterical” (music video) – A wonderful song that may have been inspired by parasitic comedians who maintain relevancy by displacing blame for their abuses of power on a non-existent “cancel culture,” Sad13’s “Hysterical,” is applicable to any situation in which you are made to feel crazy when a system that supports villainy is at fault. Also, the music video appears to be a parodic take on the categorically hilarious quarantine-produced horror film Host, or, as Rolling Stone pointed out, “the 2014 horror movie Unfriended—in which group of friends are picked off by a vengeful ghost over Skype”—either way, buds are getting killed. It is, indeed, absurd and “hysterical,” but nothing about the hysteria is gendered—funny how that works out. —MS
Absolutely: BLACKPINK with Selena Gomez, “Ice Cream” – I usually don’t fuck with ice cream too much because I’m dairy-sensitive, but this latest collaboration between BLACKPINK and Selena Gomez is worth playing on repeat. While Gomez doesn’t really add much to the song, she slides in well with the K-pop group creating a fun end of the summer tune. —Shannon Melero
Y(es)2K: Disclosure featuring Syd and Kehlani, “Birthday (MJ Cole Remix)” – This blast of retro sunshine comes as a parting glance to the (unofficial) summer season while bopping with the pep of early June. Syd and Kehlani remain two of contemporary R&B’s greatest assets—both able to maintain the sweet spot of sounding cool without sacrificing soul—but the star here is MJ Cole’s peppy 2-step beats. It’s simply astonishing that MJ Cole has managed to maintain relevance by doing exactly what he has always done sonically. This could have been released 20 years ago, and yet it sounds so fresh. A joy. —Rich Juzwiak
Sure: Bon Jovi, “Do What You Can” (music video) – Eleven years ago, New Jersey’s second-favorite musician Bon Jovi bled optimism: “It’s My Life,” made carpe diem sound like a new revelation, and pop-rock radio lovers were sold on the message. In 2020, he’s still an optimist, but a cautious one—volunteering and socially distancing and wearing a mask and parading around an empty Manhattan in the music video for his feel-good single, “Do What You Can.” It’s affecting enough to inspire this blurb, but also… send this man home! Unless Americana riffs are an essential business. To some, I’m sure they are. —Maria Sherman
YES: BTS, “Dynamite” (music video B-SIDE) – Look, is it a cop-out to release two music videos for the same song? Potentially. But most artists aren’t BTS, and most artists don’t require the same sort of constant content creation to satiate their massively dedicated global audience. This video is just as charming as the first, if not more so—their personalities are on full display here. It feels like a behind-the-scenes clip, in some way, like each boy was given playful, loose guidance and allowed to behave as silly as possible. I’m not immune to their powers, nor would I ever want to be. —MS
Y: Sad13, “Hysterical” (music video) – A wonderful song that may have been inspired by parasitic comedians who maintain relevancy by displacing blame for their abuses of power on a non-existent “cancel culture,” Sad13’s “Hysterical,” is applicable to any situation in which you are made to feel crazy when a system that supports villainy is at fault. Also, the music video appears to be a parodic take on the categorically hilarious quarantine-produced horror film Host, or, as Rolling Stone pointed out, “the 2014 horror movie Unfriended—in which group of friends are picked off by a vengeful ghost over Skype”—either way, buds are getting killed. It is, indeed, absurd and “hysterical,” but nothing about the hysteria is gendered—funny how that works out. —MS
Absolutely: BLACKPINK with Selena Gomez, “Ice Cream” – I usually don’t fuck with ice cream too much because I’m dairy-sensitive, but this latest collaboration between BLACKPINK and Selena Gomez is worth playing on repeat. While Gomez doesn’t really add much to the song, she slides in well with the K-pop group creating a fun end of the summer tune. —Shannon Melero
Y(es)2K: Disclosure featuring Syd and Kehlani, “Birthday (MJ Cole Remix)” – This blast of retro sunshine comes as a parting glance to the (unofficial) summer season while bopping with the pep of early June. Syd and Kehlani remain two of contemporary R&B’s greatest assets—both able to maintain the sweet spot of sounding cool without sacrificing soul—but the star here is MJ Cole’s peppy 2-step beats. It’s simply astonishing that MJ Cole has managed to maintain relevance by doing exactly what he has always done sonically. This could have been released 20 years ago, and yet it sounds so fresh. A joy. —Rich Juzwiak
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