A look back at MTV's Video of the Year

I've long given up hope that MTV will retain musical relevancy ever again. For a little over two decades, the cable network dictated trends while also breaking in new acts with graceful ease. Its dedication to showing music videos also pushed the medium forward, with its artistic heyday being in the 1990s when creative, visually distinct directors like Spike Jonze, Michel Gondry, Stéphane Sednaoui, Hype Williams, Anton Corbijin and Mark Romanek, among many others, made regular contributions, therefore upping the ante for any artist trying to get their video into regular rotation. Since MTV has long abandoned showing music videos during regular viewing hours, you would almost think that their annual award show, the Video Music Awards, would no longer need to exist. There is a bit of humor to be found in the fact that a network that hardly airs music would pretend to care for one night while keeping up the facade that they follow everything throughout the year.

While the VMAs have never been mistaken as harbingers of quality, I do place a bit of value into the main award: Video of the Year. Having come up in the 90s, music videos became one of my first loves and Video of the Year is probably the highest honor one can receive in that field. The Grammys have made some solid nominations over the years for their Best Short-Form Music Video category, but hardly any attention is paid to it and MTV has a longer history of identifying the most striking and relevant videos in the art form.

Despite barely dedicating time to music programming and with the majority of videos being watched online, I feel the Video of the Year award still manages to hold prestige by coming up with at least one surprise nomination a year. It shows that they care just a little bit, at least for me. I understand that MTV is in the business of making money and attracting viewers, so they have no choice but to include popular, albeit inferior videos into this category at times. This is also a different era than the 80s and 90s when the music industry thrived and more money was able to be thrown at budgets for videos, which meant more good videos in general.

With me still being a music video fan, I'm usually eager to see what happens with Video of the Year. Over the course of the VMAs' history, MTV has at times proven that it can acknowledge quality, but the VOTY could have more prestige if the network had decided to be consistently more daring. Here is a look back at all the previous nominees and winners in that category and what was overlooked in that respective year. Keep in mind when discussing what should have been nominated, I narrowed it down to videos that could have conceivably landed in the biggest category of the night, meaning that it had to have been a sizable hit with MTV rotation. Also, it should be noted that viewers have been able to vote in this category since 2006, which has taken away from the surprise factor, meaning we may never seen an upset like "Nothing Compares 2 U" or "Virtual Insanity" ever again.


1984

The Cars — "You Might Think"

* Herbie Hancock — "Rockit"
* Michael Jackson — "Thriller"
* Cyndi Lauper — "Girls Just Want to Have Fun"
* The Police — "Every Breath You Take"

What should have won: While the campy humor of "You Might Think" still holds up very well, "Thriller" was an unprecedented accomplishment at the time and has not lost its luster.
What should have been nominated: Talking Heads — "Burning Down the House"; Queen - "I Want To Break Free"; Twisted Sister - "We're Not Gonna Take It"


1985

Don Henley — "The Boys of Summer"

* Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers — "Don't Come Around Here No More"
* David Lee Roth — "California Girls"
* David Lee Roth — "Just a Gigolo/I Ain't Got Nobody"
* USA for Africa — "We Are the World"

What should have won: The set design for "Don't Come Around Here No More" trumps the lush cinematography of "The Boys of Summer" for me.
What should have been nominated: Art of Noise — "Close (To the Edit)"; 'Til Tuesday - "Voices Carry"; Madonna - "Material Girl"; Frankie Goes to Hollywood — "Two Tribes"; Bronski Beat - "Smalltown Boy"


1986

Dire Straits — "Money for Nothing"

* a-ha — "Take on Me"
* Godley & Creme — "Cry"
* Robert Palmer — "Addicted to Love"
* Talking Heads — "Road to Nowhere"

What should have won: A good deal of me wants to say "Take On Me," mostly for the mirror shot where the camera rotates around and reveals both the animated and live-action world, but overall, "Cry" is the most distinct. "Road To Nowhere" would have been a good choice as well seeing as how Talking Heads were miles ahead of everyone when it came to making videos around this time.
What should have been nominated: Kate Bush — "Running Up That Hill"; Talking Heads — "And She Was" ; Prince and The Revolution — "Raspberry Beret"; INXS — "What You Need"; Kate Bush - "Hounds Of Love"; ZZ Top — "Rough Boy"

Adventures at Lollapalooza 2011

Day 1 - Friday

Ryan Leslie



Although there weren't as many big name hip hop acts as there were in years past (which was an admittedly small list to begin with), it was refreshing to have a mainstream R&B singer at the festival. Ryan Leslie had an easygoing confidence about him that did not make it hard to be drawn into his show, but I felt it was lacking a certain punch, which could probably be remedied by adding more pieces to the band, which for this day was just a guitarist and a DJ. Still, Leslie is a talented songwriter and it would have been apparent to anyone passing by that he had an ear for beats and melodies.

Tab The Band



I think I enjoyed their stage banter the most out of all the bands over the weekend ("This song was on Major League Baseball 2K11. It's on the screen where you choose baseball players to do shit. Like play baseball, I guess.") Overall, they were fun and played some good time rock n' roll that provided a good jumpstart to Lollapalooza.

Mixed Reaction: my other blog

So I've started a new blog where I take a look back at all the mixtapes I've made for myself, starting back in 1996. It's called Mixed Reaction and I post new entries every Tuesday. Check it out because it will be a long journey.

http://mixedreaction.blogspot.com

Betty Black - "Spring Blossoms"/Kudu - "Let's Finish" & "Physical World"

Kudu's 2006 Death Of The Party is an album that remains in constant rotation for me and is often played on those weekend nights when I'm getting ready to go out to a party or dancing. With some booze and company, it could almost be a fitting substitute for a night out if you decided to stay in, as it's already a practical journey through NYC's underground with electronic nods to ESG and Blondie thrown in. Even though the album has nicely filled a niche in my life, like most artists that I enjoy I'm usually left clamoring for new material. It now appears that 2011 will see my wishes come true as they are slated to release a follow-up album under their new moniker Art World Killer, but not before vocalist Sylvia Gordon churns out a trilogy of EPs as her alter ego, Betty Black.

Part of what makes Kudu/Art World Killer so unique is the diversity of Gordon, who seems to be one of the few contemporary female vocalists that uses Siouxsie Sioux as a reference point. On "Spring Blossoms," which will be on the upcoming Slow Dance, Gordon continues to retain the Goth stylings that influenced her youth to an enchanting and subdued use. The sound of Betty Black is centered around 50's girl groups and meant to evoke David Lynch films, according to Gordon, and that description is pretty spot-on. The relative sparseness of songs such as The Shirelles' "Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow" and The Ronettes' "You, Baby," along with countless others from that era, have their blueprint all over this track, but with an added tinge of darkness.

"Spring Blossoms"


To listen to more songs from Betty Black, head on over to her Bandcamp website. Slow Dance will be released through iTunes on June 28.

White Shoes & The Couples Company - "Sans Titre" & "Matahari"

White Shoes and The Couples Company are one of my favorite current groups going right now. They hail from Indonesia and thrive on a sunny, jazzy sound with shades of American pop from the 1960s. Their second album, Album Vakansi, which was released late last year in their native country but as of now doesn't have U.S. distribution, takes more chances than its predecessor by playing heavily on the jazzier aspects of their sound. I'll always hold their debut album in very high regard due to its ability to instantly brighten my mood, but here are a few tracks from their latest one which I've been constantly repeating.

"Sans Titre" marks a departure for the band as it's their first record to be sung in neither Indonesian or English, but in French. It's also the most eerie that the band has sounded, with theremin-like sounds floating in the background and a few other experimental touches that wouldn't be out of place in the world of trip-hop. It also happens to be one of their most delicate-sounding songs as well.

"Sans Titre"


Click here to download.


"Matahari" falls more in line of what one would expect of White Shoes and The Couples Company. The song gives off a bright feeling that's reminiscent of spring and is another showcase for the musical ability of the group, which I sometimes tend to gloss over when basking in the melodies. I'd be interested to know who some of their influences were as far as the world of jazz and if they're fans of any other kind of world music since I definitely hear some West African guitar picking going on here.

"Matahari"


Click here to download.

KING - "The Story"

The debut EP from KING has been one of the more pleasant discoveries so far in 2011. All three songs from The Story showcase a fresh, new R&B trio not confined to just relying on aesthetic and groove, but heavily focusing on the intricacies of songwriting and arrangement. I get a sense of enchantment when listening to their songs that I can't quite put a finger on. Part of me thinks it has something do with two of the members being twins and that somehow enhances their musical communication. My favorite track from them is "The Story," which has traces of an Oriental melody and a lite synth sound that is reminiscent of some of Prince's sensual moments. Although this is their first release, I'm hoping to hear more of those electronic textures from them in the future because it seems to be their strong suit and part of what makes them so unique.



You can buy the EP from Amazon for just $2.97 by clicking here. Also, the video, which they crafted by hand by themselves, is as cute as buttons and has been making me smile for about a month now.

I've been told I should take more pictures

I get asked a lot by people who read my blog why I don't post more pictures of concerts. It's a very excellent question, one that I really didn't have a decent reply for. To be honest, I haven't been taking that many pictures of anything, probably due to my newfound reluctance to snap portraits of myself, but that's another story. I've been trying to get into the habit of bringing my camera with me whenever I go out, so hopefully it will be a semi-regular thing. Here's what I found as I looked through it for this post.

Asobi Seksu/Bash On Wabash/Sept. 5, 2010

This was my second time seeing them and I got a chance to hear some new songs from the album they just recently released. Once I found that they were going to be at this street fest in the South Loop, I knew that my Sunday night had been decided.

Best Movies of 2010

As I always mention whenever I do my best films of the year list, I like to wait till around February or so to allow myself to be able to see some of the movies that don't go nationwide until the new year. I'm on a modest budget and I don't get to go to film festivals, so it's impossible for a Midwesterner such as myself to catch all the prestige films that are rushed to release during the Oscar season that manage to land on a lot of critics' year-end list. I feel that as long as I can do my list before the Academy Awards, it can still remain somewhat relevant and topical. This was also the first year that I got a subscription to Netflix and if you haven't jumped on board by now, I highly recommend it if you're a movie buff such as myself. It allowed me to watch more movies in a year than I have in a very long time and is partly the reason why this list is close to 60 and could have potentially been higher if I had the time to fit in everything I hoped to see.


1. I Am Love

One of the most visually impressive films of the year was not a flashy, big-budget Hollywood effort, but a brooding family drama from Italian director Luca Guadagino. The set design and wardrobes are rich with vivaciousness and detail that pop off the screen in an effective, subtle manner and reflect the tone and personalities of its scenes and characters beautifully. This is a movie that deals with contrast at nearly every corner, since the main character, a Russian woman played Tilda Swinton who married into an affluent Italian family, is an outsider in her own family and that idea is delicately exposed in nearly every frame. Technically, I Am Love is masterfully produced, but when it delves into the intentions and actions of its characters, the effect is poetic as it can be interpreted in many different ways. Even the film's final, grainy shot could have several connotations after repeat viewings (I've seen people refer to it as having the qualities of an ultrasound). I know I've come across a great film when I can't get it out of my head days later and I am constantly thinking it over in my head. As is the case with a lot of revered art, everything may not come to you the first time around, but along the way it forces you to ask yourself questions you never thought of before and enriches you in the process.

Live Blogging the 2011 Grammys:

6:49 Showtime is near. Checking out some of the awards handed out before the show and seeing how they matched up with my predictions. Some things of note: Black Keys won Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group and also took Best Alternative/Music Album, which was supposed to be a gimme for Arcade Fire. Huge upset. Also, "Empire State of Mind" taking Best Rap Song and Best Rap/Sung Collaboration over Eminem suggests that it may not be his night after all. This could have huge ramifications for the general categories, specifically Album of the Year where Eminem is favored.

6:58 I'm probably more excited than I should be that "Empire State of Mind" won those categories. For one, it makes Record of the Year more interesting and "Empire State of Mind" is simply the better song.

7:05 Tribute to Aretha Franklin to kick off the show featuring Martina McBride, Florence Welch, Yolanda Adams, Christina Aguilera and Jennifer Hudson. Right now, Xtina is winning. Florence seems like the only who doesn't belong. Will have to wait till she gets her solo turn. Martina McBride is making a very strong case for 2nd place.

Grammy Predictions & Live Blogging

It's Grammy time once again and I'll be live blogging the event as usual this Sunday, Feb. 13. I'll be getting things started here a couple of minutes before the big ceremony. Also, make sure to check out my Grammy predictions posted at Prefix.

Top 250 Singles of 2010

1. Janelle Monáe F/ Big Boi - Tightrope

It was only just a few weeks ago that I listed The ArchAndroid as my #1 album of 2010. Now Janelle Monáe can also lay claim to my favorite single as well. The steady groove of "Tightrope" was deceptive to me at first and made everything appear simple. Having been a fan of Monáe for some years, I was used to expecting something more explosive and colorful.

Best Albums of 2010

Another year, another albums list, another reason to share. This is what I live for in the last few weeks of December (and of course, family, holidays, yadda yadda yadda). Keep an eye out for my singles list next week. Also, if you want to check out lists from previous years, just check out the links below.

2009, 2008, 2007, 2006, 2005, 2004



1. Janelle Monáe - The ArchAndroid

It's not very often when you come across a debut album as confident and self-assured as this one. Usually it might take an artist a few albums before they can muster up the courage and audacity to create something with as wide a scope as The ArchAndroid on their first time out, which is part of what makes it so impressive.

Kinky Notti - "100 Pieces"

There are a few of Kinky Notti's songs that I'm absolutely over the moon about, but "100 Pieces" gets the most play from me, hands down. It falls right in line with the sexy atmosphere of their debut album, Succumb, but this track steps further away from the R&B/hip hop hybrid that dominates their sound and is decidedly more eerie and subtle. There's a Prince vibe in the way that the guitars are used to bring sensuality to a pop song, but the bass and drums keep things sinister and serve as a reminder that if this song is playing, you should be making your way around 3rd base by now. It sounds like nothing else that's coming out of Chicago right now.



Download the song here and buy Succumb on Bandcamp here They also recently released a video for the title track to Succumb a few weeks ago. Warning: not safe for work.