Michel Gondry is the master of the Playful and Imaginative Music Video. But since the French director left the realm of videos for features, there's been a huge hole. Only one man has made a serious attempt to fill that vaccum. His name is Dougal Wilson and he's already done amazing clips for Goldfrapp, Bat for Lashes, Basement Jaxx, and Jarvis Cocker (watch them all in high quality here). And now he's responsible for Coldplay's newest video, which happens to be the band's best clip since 2002's "The Scientist".As you can probably tell by the screenshot, Coldplay are given the puppet treatment in their video for "Life in Technicolor II". Which is funny enough. (Wilson tried a similar trick on Dizzee Rascal's "Dream" video.) But context is key. And Wilson milks the context. Because while the Coldplay puppets are quite small and playing to a crowd of kids more interested in Maggie's parfait than arena rock, they're still Coldplay: Most Important Band on Earth! Hence: Who-style pyrotechnics, a mini-sound-guy camping out by the custard, daredevil cyclists, camera angles that make Tiny Chris Martin larger than life. Considering their straight-faced odes to life, love, liberty, and other things one may find on a bohemian's headstone, it's easy to forget Coldplay have a great sense of humor. But they do. And their taste in video directors isn't bad, either.[from the Prospekt's March EP; out now; also from the "Life in Technicolor II" single; due 02/09/09; both on Parlophone]