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Video Vision Best Music Videos of 2005 December, 2005 |
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Here we are at the end of another year & the cool thing is that we are still here to give you Video Vision's Best Music Videos of 2005!
A couple of disclaimers head off any "Best Of" year list so here they are: Video Vision is a San Francisco based, commercial-free program aired solely on San Francisco's Public Access channel. Public Access TV in the U.S. is community television where all the residents make TV! No barriers to entry, like costly liability insurance, and no barriers to content - which is why you see a lot of "niche" programming interests. Nobody makes any money, but the community member has the opportunity to 1st person communicate with the local community about interesting ideas. So while Public Access Television has quality journalism, culture, arts, and discussion programs it also gets the taint, usually from mainstream media, of being the television channel looney bin. Which, in this digital age of exploding "Do It Yourself" (DIY) mass media, is just plain bunk.
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This list represents one facet of music video; one driven by a San Francisco mentality that loves diversity, culture, politics, uniqueness, and a refined and cynical visual aesthetic and literacy. So yeah, it's about good music but also about the video concept, the editing, the creativity, and the narratives (or stories) that's both seen and implied in the video's assumptions, projections of identity, and cultural affinity. In other words, we would like them to be viewed like pieces in an exhibit (art high and low) by an audience who thinks while they watch and listen.
And yeah, if this sounds elitist... it probably is; but the TV execs take care of everything else for the other audiences pretty well.  |
Another disclaimer is also one of our strengths. We receive music videos from 3 sources: directly from music labels, indirectly from independent music servicers who represent hundreds of micro-labels and major labels, and from artists (bands, directors, etc.) themselves. We don't get videos from all the music labels but we do receive tons of videos from small labels. These boutique labels provided most of our "Best Of 2005" list, only a few came from the major labels. The high profile videos from major labels will be on many award shows like MTV or the MVPA awards. Our list has very little crossover becasue we really loved our "Best Of 2005" picks more than those - BUT overall the quality of all Music Videos is better on everyone's list(s) these days.
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The boutique labels (Merge, Subpop, Mute, Matador, etc.) had a stupendous year with both the music and the videos. Smaller artist rosters often help focus attention on a few artists with contemporary releases. In the major labels, a good year for emerging bands - some are treated with a superb video to gain some buzz in the regional video shows way before radio and the music video heavies get on board.
Also apparent this year, the continuation of a disappointing viewpoint - one that is generally suspicious of music videos as a vacuous time suck. It happens even with great releases such as Lou Barlow's "Emoh". A blah video for "Round and Round" that we couldn't play frustrates me every time I listen to this fantastic CD. A little more trust in the medium and some knowledge that music video is exploding beyond"lifestyle programmming" networks might have nudged this artist and CD into more exposure, but instead the video was a bad introduction to the CD so we figured airing it more than once would be more harmful than helpful.
Also apparent this year, the continuation of a disappointing viewpoint - one that is generally suspicious of music videos as a vacuous time suck. It happens even with great releases such as Lou Barlow's "Emoh". A blah video for "Round and Round" that we couldn't play frustrates me every time I listen to this fantastic CD. A little more trust in the medium and some knowledge that music video is exploding beyond"lifestyle programmming" networks might have nudged this artist and CD into more exposure, but instead the video was a bad introduction to the CD so we figured airing it more than once would be more harmful than helpful.
So. The Video Vision list is far from exhaustive but in it you'll see and hear jewels of editing, concept, animation, juxtapositions that pop with ideas, and visual & auditory synchronicity so superb you won't want to blink. And weirdness. Art movements and political ideas distended and distorted out to the stratosphere. Finally, while we LOVE the Internet as much as you, try and see these music videos on (at least) a TV screen if not a larger media format (and definitely see Resfest every fall if you live in metropolitan area). The infinite and precise details which lustre the video vibrancy are hard to see in anything but full/large screen format.
Seek out your regional video shows on Public Access TV, cable video listings, and large screen Internet sites and give them feedback. Even if you're not in the San Francisco area, you can subscribe to our playlist (not a spammer device) just to stay in the loop. OK. One (really). Last. Point. This list generally omits performance type videos & nightclub type videos. There are tons of them and very few sizzle with a real visual artistry, although there are always exceptions to the rule.
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Article by: Catherine Lee
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