GABRIEL FINISHES FIRST, LOU COMES UNGLUED

Since more and more videos seem to shy away from concepts and settle for lip-syncing, this month’s top two videos are all the more welcome. In them, Peter Gabriel’s and Lou Reed’s directors put them through some heavy changes with eye-catching results.

Ratings system: 80-100, don’t miss; 60-79, recommended; 40-59, watchable; 20-39, weak; 0-19, wretched.

OTHER RECENT VIDEOS:

Jane Siberry’s “One More Colour.” Devo’s Jerry Casale has devolved into a hit-and-miss video director for such acts as Rush and this Canadian songstress. Siberry’s fey ways with a song are definitely an acquired taste, and Casale’s clip pushes her even further into an image of cute eccentricity. Strangeness is welcome when most videos are so obvious, but the quirkiness here lacks humor. We first see Siberry in her kitchen, playing with a hand puppet of a cow, then she’s leading a real cow down a road while Fellini extras go through some undefined revelatory experience and a lot of bad acting. This cow-cow boogie is intriguing but ultimately disappointing. Director: Jerry Casale. 55