Any way you look at it, 2012 was a big year for music videos. We had great videos coming out on just about a daily basis, from independent productions to videos premiering on cable TV. We had a video reach 1 billion views on YouTube, and it didn't even need the entire year to do it. We saw newer directors release breakthrough videos (and then release a few more for good measure). We also saw established directors release some of their best work. The bottom line is if you are a music video fan, 2012 turned out just fine.

So, it was particularly difficult to compile a list of just 10 of the best videos of 2012. However, we sharpened our pencils, made the hard choices, and came out on the other side with a list. Thank you to everyone on our Facebook page who suggested videos for the list. We whittled the final top 10 down from a larger list, to which each suggested music video on Facebook was added.

By the way, you can listen to us count down our top 10 music videos of 2012 as well as share some superlative awards for 2012 on the podcast here.

10. "Rella" Odd Future

Ever since Odd Future appeared on the general public's radar with "Yonkers" in early 2011, they have been a force for good in the music video world. "Rella" has a unique position in their video catalog, as it manages to capture everything we love about OF: the frenetic energy, the insane imagery and concept, and (of course) the wigs. Directed by Tyler, the Creator as his director alter ego Wolf Haley, it stands as a kind of a mission statement. And, as a bonus, you can always enjoy seeing Tyler, the Creator without a penis.

9. "Hey Jane" Spiritualized

Director AG Rojas has had a very good year, with highlights that range from directing a video for Jack White to snagging Best New Director at the UKMVAs. One of those highlights is the video for "Hey Jane" by Spiritualized, a narrative centered around a transgender prostitute supporting her kids. The longest video on this list at 10:21, it culminates in a single, brutally real and violent scene all shot in one continuous take. It's also a prime example of a piece that benefits enormously from the flexibility of the music video medium, allowing for real characters and tension without the need for an unnecessary narrative arc. We're looking forward to what AG Rojas has in store for 2013.

8. "Thrift Shop" Macklemore X Ryan Lewis

Sometimes we feel like people think making music videos for funny songs is easy. However, a humorous music video needs a whole list of elements to come together to make it great. "Thrift Shop" is a video that manages to hit all the right notes, with co-directors Jon Jon Augustavo and Ryan Lewis providing a series of superbly directed setups that manage to showcase the charm of Macklemore, while not making the video about him. It also sports a cast of extras who manage to each add something special to the video (not even counting Lewis' impressive rollerblading skills). More than just a funny video for a funny song, "Thrift Shop" stands on its own as one of the best of 2012.

7. "The Full Retard" EL-P

On its face, a murderous puppet who drinks, does lines of cocaine, and gets a BJ on the street from a prostitute seems like just an easy laugh. However, director Timothy Saccenti and EL-P manage to turn this concept for "The Full Retard" into a dark, complex tale of excess and consequences that, by the end of the video, feels like it really could've been the only video that could have been made for this song. In a year rife with forgettable muppet novelty videos, seeing a drunk and unhappy Mr. Killums knock a happy new mother out with a beer bottle is strangely, and disturbingly satisfying.

6. "Birthday Song" 2 Chainz Feat. Kanye West

By the time you witness a painfully awkward, middle-aged Pakistani man pour some malt liquor on the floor before busting out some equally awkward dance moves, you know "Birthday Song" doesn't really fit the mold of your average hip hop music video. As we make our way through a house, street, and backyard (in some cases, twice), 2 Chainz and Kanye West try and ultimately fail to compete for attention with the insane, surreal atmosphere that director Andreas Nilsson has constructed around them. Whether you take it as a ridiculous video, or an ironic deconstruction of hip hop video culture, this video is the most fun you have have in 5 minutes in the music video world in 2012. We still feel bad for the clown, however.

5. "Mutual Core" Björk

Visual effects are everywhere, but visual effects that really stir your imagination are rare. Director Andrew Thomas Huang brought us an amazing combination of practical and computer visual effects this year in "Mutual Core" by Björk, a close relative of his short film SOLIPSIST. What puts this in our top 5, however, is the effect achieved by pairing Huang's visuals with Björk's soft, powerful song. As an added bonus, it features Björk as a central character, herself a music video legend. It's one of those rare music video matches where the song and the visuals truly elevate each other to another level.

4. "Gangnam Style" Psy

We hear the 2012 force that is "Gangnam Style" frequently compared to the 1995/1996 hit "Macarena." This doesn't really make a lot of sense, however, as the "Macarena" was a dance song that happened to have a (pretty dull) music video, and "Gangnam Style" is first and foremost a music video phenomenon. We think it deserves the heaps of attention it got in 2012. "Gangnam Style" is a charming, funny, energetic, and expertly executed music video that came from the creativity of one of South Korea's most seasoned and loved entertainers. The video owes a debt to HyunA, who props up the last third of the video with her sexy subway dancing and expert-level camera mugging. It's a rare perfect storm of novelty and quality, and if the biggest cultural force of 2012 is a music video, we're glad its one like "Gangnam Style." We're not complaining.

3. "Bad Girls" M.I.A.

Romain Gavras is the torch bearer of the kind of marquee music video making that results in videos like "Bad Girls". A series of brilliantly conceived and executed visuals, the video features M.I.A. in a number of instantly iconic tableaus (most notably, on top of a drifting car, doing her nails). M.I.A. leading a wall of people dressed in middle eastern garb, shuffle-stepping to her track is one visual we won't soon forget, and it's one of the reasons that this video has had so much success in 2012 with award nominations, award wins, and best-of lists. 2012 put Gavras near or at the top of the music video game, and it's videos like "Bad Girls" that make it well deserved. 

2. "Oblivion" Grimes

It's a little hard to pin down what draws so many people into the video for Grimes' "Oblivion". Directed by 2012 music video phenom Emily Kai Bock, "Oblivion" is a video with a simple concept that has earned a place on a great many "best of" lists, where hundreds of others made under similar circumstances go unnoticed. So what is it about this video? It almost certainly has to do with the magnetic on-camera personality of Grimes, who alternatively plays the straight woman and a fish-out-of-water headphone pixie girl as she interacts with the sports spectator environments she is placed into. It also has something to do with Evan Prosofsky's beautiful cinematography, turning sports arenas and living rooms full of moshing dudes into other-wordly landscapes. And maybe the most unsung element is the editing, which recognizes each of the previously mentioned elements and accentuates each. Either way, we'll be lucky to get a video like "Oblivion" in 2013.

1. "Houdini" Foster the People

Music videos pack a lot into small amounts of time. Putting together something that is fun, interesting, and worth a second watch in under four minutes, all while showcasing a band and a song is the supreme challenge of music video directors everywhere. It's because of this that the directing duo DANIELS is at the top of their game right now, and "Houdini" by Foster the People is our number one video of the year in 2012. From the opening surprise death of the three members of Foster the People, DANIELS expertly takes us through an entire narrative arc in 3 minutes and 23 seconds, packing in enough to fill a 90 minute Adam Sandler comedy. Running through this is the absurdity of the whole premise, making the short term victory by the handlers of Foster the People (making an audience of teenagers cheer for three dancing corpses) all that more comical. It is also, interestingly, a music video about making a music video, featuring music video directors Hiro Murai and Dori Oskowitz playing the actual music video directing duo, DANIELS. It's an achievement in the music video format disguised as just another pop video, and it's our #1!

Well, that's our list! However, so many other things happened in 2012, that we wanted to get into some other "best ofs". Here's our 2012 music video superlatives!

Best video you haven't seen (under 10,000 views)
"Running Up That Hill" by Cameras (directed by June Zandona)

Best product placement
"Scream & Shout" by Will.i.am and Britney (directed by Ben Mor)

Best interactive video
"C.L.U.B." by MNDR (directed by fourclops)

Best animated video
"Seven Hours With A Backseat Driver" by Gotye (directed by Ivan Dixon and Greg Sharp)

Ballsiest video concept
"National Anthem" by Lana Del Rey (directed by Anthony Mandler)

Best camera mugging
Cher Lloyd in "Oath" by Cher Lloyd (directed by Hannah Lux Davis)

Best background actor/actress performance
Background white girl in "So High" by Xo Tha LimeLight Prince feat. Young G (directed by Cash Jundi)

Best use of nudity
"Cochon Ville" by Sébastien Tellier (directed by Alex Courtes)

Best video to premiere on cable television
"We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together" by Taylor Swift (directed by Declan Whitebloom)

Best party video
"HYFR" by Drake (directed by Director X)

Adam Fairholm is the co-founder and lead developer of IMVDb. You can find him on twitter at @adamfairholm.