Before the VMAs air live August 28 at 9 p.m. ET on MTV, we shine a spotlight on some lesser-known clips. By James Montgomery Kanye West Photo: Flanigan/ FilmMagic Last week, the nominations for the 2011 MTV Video Music Awards were revealed in a live special that featured plenty of surprise guests (like multiple-nominees Katy Perry, Bruno Mars and Tyler, the Creator) and just as many actual surprises. Perhaps nowhere was the latter more apparent than in the Video of the Year category, which saw Perry’s “Firework” and Adele’s “Rolling in the Deep” grab noms ( as predicted ), but also featured a trio of rather unexpected inclusions: Mars’ “Grenade,” the Beastie Boys’ “Make Some Noise” and Tyler’s “Yonkers.” In fact, though they’re all worthy selections, this year’s Video of the Year category might best be remembered for the clips that didn’t make the cut. And we’re not just talking about high-profile vids like Eminem and Rihanna’s “Love the Way You Lie,” Lady Gaga’s “Born This Way” or Britney Spears’ “Till the World Ends” either. There were plenty of videos that wowed us in 2011, from artists both big and small. And after some rather zesty debate in the MTV Newsroom, we’ve compiled some of our favorites. Have a look at our picks for the Other Videos of the Year. Arcade Fire, “The Suburbs” A stirring, somber clip that’s part political treatise (the perils of colonialism, the erosion of civil liberties, etc.), part social commentary (the steady advance of adulthood, the preponderance of the past) and all compelling. It’s part of a larger film from director Spike Jonze and the band. Proof that sometimes the best artists actually do make the best art. Battles, “Ice Cream” A collection of seemingly random images — Karate! Some dude drinking milk! Bowling! A girl licking a doorknob! — tossed in a blender and whirled into a seizure-inducing syrup. The end result is a blissed-out, kinetic trip, and while it doesn’t make an ounce of sense, when paired with Battles’ spastic strut, it almost does. Almost being the operative word, of course. James Blake, “Limit to Your Love” A clip that’s as sumptuously simple as the track it backs, “Limit to Your Love” is little more than scenes of urban malaise — a darkly lit apartment, a decadently unmade bed, a decaying wooden floor — but its true power lies in the wonder it creates within those confines. Appliances limp to life, fruit hovers in the air, and a churning sea appears out of thin air. Like Blake’s music, there’s magic in the minimalism. Kanye West, “Monster” The disclaimer at the beginning states that “Monster” is “an art piece and it shall be taken as such,” but as is the case with pretty much everything Kanye does, it’s not that simple. Because while some decried the clip for its (frankly pretty brutal) misogynistic leanings — and with the abundance of half-nude women, fully deceased women, who can blame them? — few could deny that “Monster” is also a jarring, compelling, decidedly dark masterstroke. Deeply troubling torture porn or totally realized work of art? Probably both. Manchester Orchestra, “Simple Math” The year’s most brilliant, beautiful (and quite possibly best ) video, “Simple Math” twists time and space — the whole thing plays out over the time it takes frontman Andy Hull’s truck to spin violently off the road — into a M
