GOLDFRAPP> HAPPINESS
Alison Goldfrapp's desire to shed her "electro slut" image in favor of something more down-to-earth has led to a second consecutive collaboration with director Dougal Wilson. This time he casts her in a ridiculously upbeat homage to Bobby Van's "hippity hop" dance from Small Town Girl, in which a dashing bloke in a white suit exuberantly hops along a London street, enchanting everyone he meets. What takes the video beyond mere MGM tribute are the understated and unexpected moments; poignantly commonplace art direction, colorful yet realistic costumes, and flawless timing. "Happiness" is endlessly watchable. [Prodco: Colonel Blimp; Label: Mute] KR

ELBOW> ONE DAY LIKE THIS
Americans might be sick of those "sign spinners" who bust freestyle moves on street corners with placards for used car dealerships (thereby skirting city bylaws prohibiting fixed ad signage), so it's fitting that a British spot director - Ringan Ledwidge - has recognized a kind of peculiar beauty in the job. After a commercial shoot in LA was cancelled, he filmed this impromptu promo for Elbow, capturing a solitary spinner's casual grace amidst bluish hues of drab, morning light. Set to the shimmering flourishes of "One Day Like This", Ledwidge has turned a uniquely American urban anomaly into something worth a longer look. [Prodco: Rattling Stick; Label: Fiction] KR

R.E.M.> HOLLOW MAN
After creating a series of font-focused web films to promote Douglas Coupland's book The Gum Thief, Crush directors Gary Thomas and Stefan Woronko have produced a similarly type-based effort for Coupland's pal Michael Stipe. "Hollow Man" captures the recurring R.E.M. themes of urban alienation and restlessness and amplifies them for the avatar age, assaulting viewers with a chaotic mix of hand-drawn text and exaggerated computer graphics. Though technically polished, the video retains a punk zine aesthetic that feels more personal than preachy. [Prodco: Crush Inc.; Label: Warner Bros.] KR