Welcome to the third installment of our countdown of the 50 best alt, indie, and underground idol MVs of all time as selected by the readers of Homicidols dot com. This week we are seeing some truly iconic classics including “I kill” and “MEGITSUNE” who were instrumental in establishing the genres of yami kawaii and kawaii metal respectively. We also see our most-nominated music video in, “Hallellujah.”
It is also worth noting that “Skulls in the Stars” and “I kill” tied for Homicidols Best Video of the Year in 2016 and then landed on this list separated by five spots.
As always, we are including commentary from the nominating party and (if you’ve noticed) our founder, Maniac, is sounding off from the archives. Here’s a quick link to last week’s entry if you need a little refresher, but if not…
Let’s go!
30. BiSH, “GiANT KiLLERS”
Eddie: Among all the awesome songs in their rich discography, this is definitely their most stand out video, creepy and original. Long live BiSH!
P. Roberts: Because Idols won’t take your S@*#
Maniac: Ayuni shot first! A great song deserves a great, creative music video. The idea of Atsuko gleefully gunning down her abusive father’s henchmen, a song on her lips the whole way, apparently really speaks to people.
Winner: Homicidols Music Video of the Year 2017
29. NECRONOMIDOL, “Skulls in the Stars”
Maniac: “Skulls in the Stars” is one of my NECROMA personal favorites, a highlight of their album and a genuinely cool genre-bender of a track. Of course the video is a triumphant Ghouls-and-Ghosts-meets-Castlevania-meets-Super-Mario-Bros.-meets-Double-Dragon 8-bit story of the undead rising to fight the forces of evil!
Winner: Homicidols Music Video of the Year 2016 (Tie)
28. You’ll Melt More!, “A Dog Which Walks Slowly”
Eddie: One of the best songs from my all-time fave alt idols. Awesome video in a Tarantino-homage style. What’s not to like?
ckiemnstr345: Watching the ladies wipe the floor with the Yakuza is great fun.
27. Yanakoto Sotto Mute, “Afterglow”
maxomai: This would qualify as a top MV based on either the cinematography alone or the track alone. The combination of the two makes this a slam dunk.
Daemon: Bask in it. It’s beautiful. The costumes. The strings. Nade-chan eating a rose; Mani-Mani eating marbles; Ichika hitting the high notes; Tsukasa with a bucket on her head. It’s all gorgeously absurd and near perfection.
26. THERE THERE THERES, “Soil”
BobIsRandom: Probably my favorite idol song and video of all time, which is a little odd because it’s not the type of song or video I’d probably normally like. I’m a huge Radiohead fan, though, and I’m pretty sure this is some homage to Radiohead, from the group’s name to the setting of the video to the guitar tone used in the song. At any rate, I love the song and I love the video. The choreography, which is something I usually don’t pay attention to, is also great.
25. Shihatsu-machi Underground, “Hallellujah”
ClawCarver: I discovered the very-cool Shihatsu-machi Underground during lockdown in early 2020 and they leapt straight into my favourite groups. It is hard to find words to describe this song and MV except:
- No, it’s not THAT “Hallelujah”, and
- The Jarmuschian/Lynchian video is super stylish, creepy, and strangely cute.
D4rkWzd: Whoever directed this managed to squeeze what could be a full length movie into a 3:58 minute idol MV. Brilliant storytelling and visuals. Would totally buy tickets to a bigger version of this.
BobIsRandom: An artsy video that I don’t fully understand, though I’m not sure I’m supposed to. It is one of the more outstanding pieces of music to come out of underground idol, though.
Egor: Wow! It’s one of the best short films I’ve ever watched.
24. DEEP GIRL, “I kill”
Daemon: Disturbing and iconic. The embodiment of yami kawaii and a trigger warning in music video form.
M. Flores: This may seem more serious at first sight (and it is), but it’s still J-Horror influenced. The schoolgirl J-Horror aesthetic is there. And yes, suicide and bullying are serious topics, but only the Japanese are capable of twisting something so uncomfortable and socially disturbing into something Gorish. I mean, it’s very graphic. They could have chosen to not show blood, but they still did it to prove the point while having the delicacy not to cross the line into exploitation. It’s also kind of a TV drama while staying cinematic with many iconic images that could stand on their own. Not every director can achieve that. Group and individual behavior analysis is well combined. The characters are strong and complex, so it’s obvious that there was some major acting direction work involved. The story is rounded and so well told… It’s a masterpiece.
Winner: Homicidols Music Video of the Year 2016 (Tie)
23. BABYMETAL, “MEGITSUNE”
Daemon: While “GIMME CHOCOLATE” is far more responsible for bringing the world’s attention to kawaii metal, “MEGITSUNE” established it’s depth and seriousness as a genre. The MV was also responsible for much of the early iconography of alt-idol as a whole. A classic song + unforgettable imagery: it is the complete package and helped sell the world on the idea that idols can be cute and still kick ass.
22. BURST GIRL, “GREAT FXXKING MY WORLD”
Stephe Sp☆rkles: BURST GIRL’s first iconic MV proved that these four indie idols don’t need no producer as they turned the B-side of their debut single into one of the most enduring punk-idol anthems.
21. Kaqriyo Terror Architect, “Identity Crisis”
farfromsleep: Alt-idol attitude distilled to its purest possible form, featuring a central performance so amped it feels like Nonamera could reach out and pull your face through the screen and almost definitely will.
So we are just past the halfway point of our countdown. Be sure to join us next week when we breach the top 20. And feel free to add your thoughts and opinions over on the Homicidol’s Discord Server.
You must be logged in to post a comment.