Five Radical Music Videos from the Early to Mid-Aughts – Number Three: The Strokes’ Reptilia

In the early aughts, the Strokes epitomized cool. Their style, their songs, their sheer sense of smug; utter hipness.

For Reptilia, the band recruited Jake Scott -- son of Ridley -- to direct the second single from their sophomore album. Utilizing quick cuts, split screens, and multi-layered color palates, Scott successfully captures the band’s frenetic energy.

The result is a dizzying simplicity not too unlike the Strokes themselves -- each member somehow makes the essence of cool look too easy.

In the video’s final frames, lead singer Julian Cassablancas blows cigarette smoke into the camera, making that Truth anti-tobacco campaign look like a piece of propaganda banality.