The Dearth of Great Music Videos

Hey folks

I only had one comment to make today and its that there is an utter lack of compelling music videos in the music industry. Sound cynical or pessimistic? Maybe. But it doesn't mean I'm wrong.

Music videos originated primarily as a marketing tool (the fancy editing and cool cinematography is all meant to hide that very fact) so I completely understand why music executives would want to invest heavily in music videos. Especially now, with so many online entities interconnected (Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, Vimeo, etc.), music videos have become more popular compared to a few years ago, when the medium failed to excited viewers in any kind of tangible way. Now, however, with relatively sophisticated methods, we can track the progress of a video both domestically and internationally. The Internet doesn't have borders (no matter what you might hear) and any kind of imposed limitations are a complete falsehood.

In my opinion, music videos are more than just high-end advertising. It is a celebration of music through the magic of video. I don't think there is anything more exciting than to visually feast on a music video that has a great concept and a great look. I realize that I am simplifying matters a bit, but the core foundation of a terrific music video isn't some great mystery. It doesn't take a genius to realize that in order to make a compelling music video, one only has to find inspiration in the music itself. If the music sucks, the video will suck. Period.

So, how do we fix this? Well, we must find and celebrate artists who are open-minded, creative and liberal about their options. Then, we must persuade studios into producing videos not just for commercial points, but for creative ones too. It is a risk, yes, but only by venturing into uncharted territory will you find answers. If an investor wants to spread risk, he or she will diversify their portfolio. Why not utilize that common sense method into music video production? If you sufficiently prepare yourself, you can reduce risk and manage it comfortably like any investor.

Be pragmatic, be open and barriers will fall. Live in possibility and your life will know no bounds. It doesn't necessarily take courage to break away the shackles of doubt and nervousness, just the wisdom of acknowledging that doubt and denying it access into your life.

There is no need for a revolution in music videos, but a desire to destroy forces that would stifle creativity will be in everyone's best interest. Change has the best chance of surviving if it originates from the ground up. A positive-minded grassroots movement will do wonders for the music industry. The question shouldn't be "How can I do this?" but rather - "When do I start?"

Madvillainy: Madlib's greatest collaboration

Hey folks

In my earlier post regarding Madlib, I made a reference to an album, titled "Madvillainy". This LP is a collaboration between Madlib, the producer and rapper/MC MF Doom. MF Doom also goes by another alias - Vaudeville Villain, hence the "Madvillain" moniker.

I also made reference to how great this album truly is. It is, by far, one of the greatest records I have ever listened to. But believe me, it wasn't the case when I first heard it. That gave me a lot of encouragement, however, because I knew that great music always took a few listens. A good album fits like a glove, but a great album is like a cool new pair of jeans that needs breaking into.

Split across 22 terse, short tracks, Madvillainy will lead you through a loopy set of the most left-field beats, even by Madlib's standards. "Accordian", one of the highlights of the album is laid out with a sparse beat accompanied by a hypnotic accordion loop. "Curls", one of my favourites, is an odd mix of an upbeat drum loop and Waldir Calmon's "Airport Love Theme" sample that showcases Madlib's love affair of sounds and his obsession with the perfect sample.

MF Doom

"Operation Lifesaver", "All Caps" and "Rhinestone Cowboy" are other excellent tracks that will challenge your taste in music. But that's a good thing, as it will force you to confront the limits of your "open mind".

The album in its entirety will seem jarred and downright weird to the first-time listener - especially if you are unfamiliar with either MF Doom or Madlib's earlier work. But like I said before, it takes a few listens and once you break into it, I guarantee the LP won't be leaving your "Now Playing" playlist anytime soon.

"Lost": The Best Show on Television

Hey folks

It should be pretty obvious from the title that this post will discuss "Lost", the ABC-produced serialized TV show about a mystery surrounding the survivors of a plane crash while being stranded on a remote island. There has never been a show that has captivated both my attention and intellect for the past seven years, except for this phenomenal show.

Many of you may wonder quietly what the show is really about, and as a rabid fan of the show, I honestly couldn't tell you. You see, Lost is currently in its final season and many of the mysteries that were just confounding in the earlier seasons are now being unraveled. In fact, the show is in its final episodes, (the latest one premiered yesterday at 9pm on CTV) which will set up a 2-and-a-half hour finale on May 23.

After I studied the show in hindsight and tried to analyze why exactly I loved the show, I discovered that the program made few, but significant choices in regards to its overall structure as a Live-action TV show.

For one, the show's production values (as compared to other TV programs) are very high. At times (yesterday's show was a prime example), an episode can easily be mistaken for a well-produced action film. Not only did the creative force situate the show on an exotic location (the show is produced out of Hawaii), they also made remarkable decisions as to the cast of the entire production.

One of those remarkable casting choices is Evangeline Lilly. Apart from her obvious beauty, she is a terrific actress. She only had a few cameos here and there and never had a speaking role until she landed the Lost gig. Since the first time I saw her on the show, I made a mental note to myself to watch the second episode no matter what! She got me hooked on the show initially, but after I took in the intricate mysteries of the island, I admit that my interest went beyond just ogling the pretty actress.

Evangeline Lilly

And the mysteries are where Lost truly shines at. The writers have done an amazing job keeping viewers like myself glued to the screen, nudging us to pick-and-prod at subtle clues that the show leaves about. One of the main criticisms of the show (one that I harboured in the past) is that the show will simply answer questions in a way that will lead to more questions. In fact, this structure of storytelling has been going for the last six years - viewers were given a peek at the various mysteries of the island, but the whole picture was always veiled underneath a thickening swath of unanswered questions.

Nevertheless, I eventually found this form of plot-forwarding to be very enticing and it almost always raised my excitement to dangerous audio levels (my parents still cringe at my occasional swearing).

From left to right: Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaj, Matthew Fox, Michelle Rodriguez, and Josh Holloway

There really is nothing more I can say about the show without disclosing precious spoilers. My only advice is for you to check it out for yourself. I am not suggesting you go out and buy the Season DVDs (if you do, however, I highly commend you), but rather you can start by asking your close friends and/or relatives if they have already purchased it. If that fails, you can always mine your Facebook "friends" list and start hacking away. A simple "Does anyone have Lost Season DVDs?" status update will go a long way. Trust me - I got my DVD set exactly the same way.

The Legacy of Led Zeppelin (Part 1)

Hey folks

A lot of people who know me (or think they know me) tend to make an understandable assumption about my taste in music. They would say I listened to hip hop music. And they'd be right, partly. If I had to put a number on it, I would say I listen to hip hop/rap music roughly 60-70% of the time. That's a hefty majority of my time dedicated to good hip hop music, which I DON'T believe includes the abhorrent shit that the radio (especially here in Toronto *ahem* Flow 93.5 *cough*) plays on a regular basis. But I listen to anything that sounds good to my ear, whether it be hip hop or not. As of recent, I have grown increasingly obsessed with Jazz, specifically the Blue Note catalog (which is a great place to start, I'm told).

Rock, however, has its place. Or should I say, had its place. The current rock-pop infusion that is playing on the radio is the same kind of below-dirt cacophony that the hip hop community seems content with in their own genre. But enough about them, I'm here to talk about the music that banged out in the '70s, which in my opinion is probably the best decade for music AND movies ... ever.

One of the bands that grew insanely famous during that same decade is the British band, Led Zeppelin. Now, I am not going to pretend that I am a certified expert on the band (come to think of it, I don't know anyone who is), but after listening to their entire discography chronologically, I am confident that I have a firm grasp on the insatiable group and I wanted to share that with all of you.


The band consisted of Jimmy Page (lead guitarist), Robert Plant (vocals & harmonica), John Paul Jones (who was the bass guitarist, mandolin player and manned the keyboard on several occasions) and finally John Bonham (drums).

To me, Led Zeppelin's music is best described as a jazzy, instrument-driven heavy metal-esque sound that when combined with Robert Plant's psychedelic vocals, results in a very rich, and very original piece of music. The real star of the group is without doubt, Jimmy Page who orchestrated pretty much everything, from song structure to vocals and even chose the sound engineer.

One of the most unique decisions the band made was to NOT release singles. Their music was strictly meant to be heard through the album structure and they didn't want that structure to be rendered moot by releasing radio singles. They were adamant about it as they wouldn't sign a contract without that provision being included which, amazingly, they got through the indelible shrewdness of their manager by the name of Peter Grant.


What initially got me hooked was when I listened to their debut album, with a confident title of Led Zeppelin I. I guess the band had more foresight than anybody, because the band knew their music would catch on and they would make more albums.

All in all, the band released 10 studio albums within roughly 15 years. I will dive much more deeply into the band and their work in later posts, but all you need to know at this point is that Led Zeppelin is one of the most influential musical acts ever to be created and that fact is wholly justified by the legions of new fans the group receives every year. That kind of sums up what this band is all about - a legacy from a time when music was just music, and no amount of histrionics from the likes of record producers and/or studio executives could have changed Zeppelin's mind on what music meant to them. I miss those times, even though I never lived in them. And that, my friends, is no overstatement.

Best Documentaries: "The Fog of War"

Hey folks

Today, I would like to draw your attention to an excellent documentary I viewed recently, titled - "The Fog of War" (full title: "The Fog of War: Eleven Lessons from the Life of Robert S. McNamara").

The 95-minute documentary chronicles the decisions made in the life of Robert S. McNamara, who was a statistician during WWII that directly aided the successful efforts to eviscerate Japan through the process of firebombing; who became the Group President of the Ford Motor Co. (and eventually its president for five weeks) and who was appointed to the position of Secretary of Defense by President John F. Kennedy during the height of the Cold War (notably during the Cuban Missile Crisis).

What is immediately striking about the doc is director Errol Morris' interviewing technique. McNamara looks directly at a softly-tilted camera, speaking excitedly about former events in a paradoxically tumultuous and yet, sullen manner. At times, he also gives way to some vociferous storytelling and does not absolve anyone, much less himself. It underscores the deep conflict leaders dealt with on a daily basis during those times. War and peace were literally on two sides of a coin and as McNamara stated in the doc, the most rational of leaders were toying with the idea of nuclear war, even when considering the consequences. At one dramatic moment in McNamara's tenure as SecDef was when he met Castro after the missile crisis, and Castro angrily confessed to McNamara that not only did he know that the nukes were on Cuban soil, but he recommended to Khrushchev to launch the weapons knowing that Cuba would be wiped out during the counter-assault by the US.

Errol Morris

McNamara was often berated by his critics for being arrogant, egotistical and even a warmonger. McNamara himself attests to those criticisms and viewers can't help but be cajoled by this candid 85-year old man who had immense influence over the future of the US and by default, the future of the world.

Robert McNamara

I don't want to spoil the fun for anyone, so I urge all of you to pick this documentary up and see for yourself how close the world was to total destruction and to also learn some important life lessons by one of the greatest men ever appointed to the position of Secretary of Defense of the United States. His decisions are still having a reverberated effect on foreign policy today and it is only fair for viewers to witness those events and pay respects to the man who arguably saved the world from utter destruction.

And oh, he was also the President of the World Bank for over 10 years and currently spends his time on matters of world health, economic development and poverty.

The Greatness of Madlib: Part 1

Hey folks

In this post, I would like to talk (I say talk, but really I'm raving!!!) about Madlib, the Oxnard, California DJ/Rapper & Producer. To give you an idea of his ingenuity, his title, "Madlib" stands for - Mind Altering Demented Lessons in Beats. The acronym is apt, because his music is truly mind altering and demented AND his work stands as a blueprint to all other hip hop producers out there in the world.

Madlib

What makes Madlib's music so engrossing to me is the way he juxtaposes his beats to whatever the artists says on the track. At times, he delivers exactly what you might expect when you listen to the lyrics, but most of the time, he delivers this soulful, melodic and at times, crass sound that will seem alien and foreign to the layman hip hop listener. But the listener must stick by it and let the music sink in because as all music lovers know - it is usually the best music that takes a couple of listens in order to garner enjoyment.

Although Madlib does rap occasionally, his skills and talents lie in making beats. Madlib's vinyl collection is ridiculously huge and this becomes obvious once you listen to any of his Beat Konducta albums. Once you do pop in the album, be prepared to bliss out on one of the most original works ever created. Madlib infuses sound into music like no one else and his skill as a DJ/Mixer is only eclipsed by another hip hop producer - J Dilla (a.k.a. Jay Dee). In fact, the two MC/Producers collaborated on an ambitious project that resulted in Champion Sound, where the two aficionados performed on each other beats.

But the greatest work Madlib has ever created is also another collaboration with a little known MC by the name of MF Doom. The LP, titled "Madvilliany" is so good on multiple levels that I am going to devote an entire post on just that album alone. Yes, its that great.

In the meantime, go on over and listen to any of his albums on Stone's Throw Records. I strongly recommend that you start with his Beat Konducta series, starting with "Vol. 1-2: Movie Scenes", which features an eclectic mix of 35 tracks that is sure to rattle your sound system. Play it loud and play it hard. Make sure the neighbors hear it and if they complain about the "noise", then you listened to Madlib's music the right way. Enjoy.

"The Wire": Cynicism at its worst

Hey folks

I wrote an essay last year about the show "The Wire" by HBO. I would love for you guys to check it out and let me know your opinions on the show. Thanks!

HBO's flagship series, "The Wire" has been touted (vehemently so, I might add) as one of the best TV shows of all time (Atlas, Dreier, 2008). TV pundits and enthusiastic bloggers alike have commended the show on its bold telling of a grand saga about the lives of over 65 characters (most of them African American) in the city of Baltimore. The show mainly centers around the tug-of-war between entrepreneurial drug dealers and inept law enforcement. The show, however, is extremely bleak and paints an intensely negative picture of law enforcement and their ability to stop (never mind, prevent) crime in a major American city. Its fervent cynicism is exceptionally crass in nature and its 5 season run is a dark statement: Life in the ghetto is a fight in the face of defeat and any attempts to circumvent or solve this painful dilemma is either futile or justly illogical. This comes to my main point - "The Wire", for all its unorthodox storylines and "portrayal" of minorities, is actually a fairly conventional TV show and like many "popular culture" entities, it glorifies violence, sex, drugs and also ridicules law enforcement by forcing them to skirt the law in order to "bag the bad guys" (Bianculli, 2008).

At the end of Season 5 (its final year), the show ended in the following state: A lethal, absolutely ruthless and violent drug lord is set free because the current city administration was facing an election and could not risk the possibility of a failed court trial. A lead detective fakes a serial killer in order to authorize wire taps so that a drug dealer could be caught red-handed. Life in the ghetto remained the same; drugs were still dealt to the same degree, citizens were still murdered (or as many of the show's characters say, "bodied") by the same weapons and children were still subject to the life of the drug dealer and the pursuit of happiness still remains largely elusive even to the commoner in the city of Baltimore. This intense cynicism is what the show is known for. Yet, for all its bleakness, the show offers no alternatives, nor any kind of reprieve for the average ghetto resident. Instead, the show entertains through illusion. Every season starts of with a dash of hope and peppered sentiment, but in the end, the incompetence of the various persons involved in law and order end up giving criminals countless chances to reign again and pursue their violent goals.

And violence is really the name of the game for the characters in the "The Wire". In Season 4, the same ruthless drug dealer, Marlo, hatches a plan to have the cops not notice all the murders his associates carry out. Their plan was to hide all the bodies into abandoned housing and board up the residency with "Animal Control" signs to ward off any wanderers. In that same season, Snoop, an associate of Marlo explains to two new associates the proper way to conduct a drive-by. "In B-more we just point and shoot." (Giltz, 2008). Snoop then proceeds to shoot a completely innocent man in the back of the head. The two associates then mouth out "ooo's" and "aaa's".

The violent encounters in the show are shown in such a context of indifference that after experiencing the show in its entirety, one cannot help but be desensitized. This effect is magnified when the show is viewed continuously (as can be done through the advent of DVD box sets).

One of the more memorable characters in the show is Omar. The shotgun-toting gay gangster makes his living by robbing drug dealers. The show paints him decidedly as a morally righteous man, not unlike that of Robin Hood (except Robin Hood didn't gratuitously kill people and generally didn't keep all the money to himself either). Omar justifies his ways because he is stealing from the "bad guys" and not dealing drugs or causing any undue harm. Yet, neither him nor the show's creative force realize that violent actions are the ones that cause the most ripples and this becomes blatantly true when an attack on Omar leaves a child shot dead and another associate killed by "friendly fire".

The violence reached new heights (not an admirable thing to say and I find no joy in writing it) in Season 5 when Marlo, who has it in for Omar, advocates the torture and subsequent death of Omar's mentor - a wise old man with a good heart who is also blind no less. The mentor was bound up, beaten upon and then shot limb by limb to inflict maximum pain. This, of course, entices Omar to come out of hiding and the violent cycle starts all over again. Even though Omar was the TV show's knight in shining body armour, the violence he helped create eventually led him to his own abrupt end - shot in the head in a Korean convenience store by a child no older than 10.

Nevertheless, life in ghetto is not without other vices. Sex is a natural occurrence in any setting, but in the ghetto, sex is not as black and white (or more appropriately, male and female). The show features several gay characters. Three of them are part of the main cast. Snoop, Marlo's associate is played by a former real-life lesbian drug dealer. And Omar, our vengeful gay gangster. Interesting it was Michael Williams, the actor how plays Omar, who discovered Snoop in a club and introduced her to the show's creators (Snoop is named after her own alias, "Snoop"). The third gay character is also a lesbian - Detective Kima Greggs who acts just like one of the guys and comes home to the same generic portrayal of a screwed home life that is popularly associated with heterosexuals in pop culture media.

When it comes to the actual physical nature of sex, "The Wire" is no different than any other show on TV (much less, cable). Misogyny is so pervasive in the show that is might as will be a whole character. Sexual acts are heavily favoured towards male fantasies and disturbingly, sex is also drawn for the male gaze as even the lesbian sex is portrayed as subtle voyeurism for an excited male audience.

In one instance, Marlo takes the opportunity to have sex with a girl who comes on to him in the club. The physical act was stopped only when Marlo himself was satisfied, leaving the girl wholly on the opposite end of that scale. When she says sarcastically, "That was nice." He replies, "Worked for me". He then discards the condom and leaves the vehicle.

Drugs is an obvious part of the show and is inherently, the silent aficionado in the grand scheme of things. I do not wish to go on a diatribe on the matter of its moral uses. What I do want to focus on is the fact that dealing drugs represents a choice. Now, the media has made it very clear that minorities, especially in the ghetto are seemingly without choices. Nevertheless, the show explicitly features various non-profit organizations that are non-corrupt and truly do want to help the denizens of the city. And yet, these avenues of hope are totally dismissed by the residents and are cast off as a futile attempt for a "way out". One such instance is when a teacher tries to explain to a student (who operates as a runner for dealers after school) all the choices made available to him. These include a GED program offered by the church, a boxing training centre (operated by a man who gave up the "game" and successfully lives a legitimate life) and a part-time job at Footlocker.

And yet, all these choices are "no good" for any of the characters. It is almost like the show has painted them as horses with side blinders attached to their heads. And that's the problem - for all its complex and attention to detail, all the characters in the show are actually very stripped down and are portrayed narrowly.

This bring me to my last point - the seemingly arduous task of cleaning up the streets by law enforcement. Detectives and lawyers alike have to find ways that skirt the law (and in same cases, break it) in order to catch the bad guys. Case in point - in season 5, one of the main characters, Detective McNulty comes up with a plan to authorize wire taps in order to catch Marlo. He manufactures a serial killer who preys on the homeless and makes the case public, prompting politicians to devote all the resources to the said detective. McNulty then uses these resources towards the Marlo case. The illegality of the manner in which Marlo was arrested contributed to his release and in the end, the whole facade was again a futile attempt by law enforcement.

One of the more extreme instances was in Season 3. A police chief designates an abandoned area as a place where all drug dealers can freely conduct their business. The place is patrolled by police around its perimeter who make sure that drugs aren't being dealt outside the vicinity. By doing this, the chief has essentially legalized drugs. The end result is that the violence and drugs that once pervaded the main streets of the ghetto is emptied and a significant drop in crime is registered. This tactic is, of course, totally absurd. By doing this, the chief has not improved anything, but has just conformed the drug trade to tailor his needs - to show a drop in crime in order improve his stance with his superiors.

"The Wire" is perfectly entertaining to the layman television viewer. Its gratuitous showcase of violence, sex, drugs and its cartoony and negative portrayal of law enforcement is unfortunately, very popular with viewers. Yet, the show's creator, David Simon designed the show in order to motivate politicians and citizens alike to try to instil change in the system and improve the situation in ghettos across America. Nevertheless, this seemingly noble action is in itself ineffective as the show offers no alternatives and it in fact, paints a picture that can only be described in this manner - this is the ghetto and this is the way it is, leave it be or be destroyed.