Four entries in "Music"

As a kid – in second grade as I recall – I remember wondering why our television skipped from channel 10 to 12. I’d ask my folks why this was, only to be told that “we don’t get that channel.” This seemed odd to me.

At my buddy’s house I investigated the issue further to discover that channel eleven was this thing called MTV, and they broadcasted a lot of interesting content. Like guitar solos. I realized this was the sort of television for me.

I began to suspect the reason why our television skipped eleven. Shortly thereafter I figured out how to operate the clunky switches in the back of our TV to enable the channel. I’d watch all I wanted while my folks weren’t around, and simply re-disable when I was finished. At the same time, all of my pre-adolescent income (from lawn-mowing, yard-raking, log-splitting, etc.) was diverted from collecting baseball cards to purchasing cassette tapes at the local record store. My folks figured out what had happened, and after a short period of resistance (mostly related to the PMRC’s push for parental advisory stickers on essentially all of the records I wanted to buy) the battle fizzled out: MTV remained unlocked, and my personal identity took a permanent turn.

I loved watching music videos, and for a period of time, I enjoyed some of the additional programming as well. But, as we all know, MTV eventually stopped showing videos in favor of all sorts of weird shows. They had MTV2 for a while there, but I’m not even sure if this still exists.

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So this week I’m excited to see the introduction of MTV Music, a new video site with a large collection of music videos that date back to the early 80s.

It looks like they’re still building the library, but already it’s quite robust. Check Bowie’s page — there are some deep cuts in there. Also, you can search by director. For instance, Athletics’ David Ahuja.

I’m glad this new site exists. It’s a more focused, and less chaotic version of YouTube.

But in a way this signals the end of the MTV I grew up with. MTV was how I kept up with music: I took MTV News seriously; I watched 120 Minutes with pen & paper in hand, taking note of the videos I liked. MTV Music, however, isn’t a tool for keeping your finger on the pulse. It’s more of a nostalgia machine for revisiting moments from 10-20 years go.

By the looks of the MTV Music home page, it appears MTV understands and embraces this new dynamic.

Lately we have been obsessed with Emitt Rhodes, an American singer/songwriter active in the early seventies. It all started when we discovered Dylan Gaughan’s fantastic write-up on Rhodes’ career, which includes a rip of Rhodes’ 1970 self-titled solo debut. Since then this lost pop gem has been in heavy rotation here in the studio.

The record is a total pleasure. Perfect, really. 12 tracks in 32 minutes. No rambling, no filler.

What makes Emitt Rhodes such an interesting record is its derivative nature, as Rhodes’ Beatles/McCartney influence cannot be overstated. Rhodes nails every detail: the voice, songwriting, production, guitar lines, even the lyrical content. Each track is an exercise in what-would-Paul-do, and Beatles fans could easily confuse Emitt Rhodes for an actual Paul McCartney record.

There is a serious Faul dimension to the record.

With the Beatles/McCartney influence being so strong, it’s difficult for Rhodes to establish his own voice, or a strong sense of authorship. However, there is something endearing about Rhodes’ clear obsession with Beatles pop. And upon close observation one does find a lot of honesty in the tunes; it’s almost as if Rhodes wrote the songs without quite realizing he was directly channeling Paul McCartney.

Rhodes vs. McCartney:

In 1970, both Paul McCartney and Emitt Rhodes released their solo debuts: McCartney and Emitt Rhodes, respectively. Both records were one-man-band affairs recorded in home studios. Being Paul’s first post-Beatles release, McCartney was highly anticipated. Rhodes, on the other hand, was a relatively unknown 20-year-old Californian recording out of his parents’ garage.

Thus, it’s fascinating to A/B the two records and hear Rhodes out-McCartney McCartney. While McCartney has its merits – “Maybe I’m Amazed” is a bonafide classic – the record is, for the most part, a rambling collection of musical doodles. I don’t think it’s worth debate: Emitt Rhodes is the record Beatles fans wished Paul had delivered.

Top tracks: With My Face On The Floor, Fresh As A Daisy, Live Till You Die, You Should Be Ashamed.

Brief commentary on the music portion of this year’s SxSW, my first contact.

SxSW is a bit like visiting Six Flags for five days straight, but instead of waiting in line for rollercoasters, rock bands. Fifty-eleven bands are playing at any given moment. At all times everyone is consumed by a sense of anxiety about which bands they want to catch, if they can get into the shows, and where the after-hours hipster pool party is. We played a few shows as well.

Perhaps I would better enjoy the event if I had a personal concierge to make all decisions for me, secure my place on various guest lists and physically escort me from location to location. Without such services I found the experience a bit exhausting.

I did enjoy catching one of The Marked Men sets: four guys from Denton, TX blazing through power-pop tunes.

I’m a bit late to the punch on this one, but I’ve been repeat-listening their latest full-length, Fix My Brain, released on Swami. If you have the exact same musical taste as me, you’ll enjoy it.

Top track: Sully My Name (2MB, mp3). I’m a sucker for anything with double-tracked drums.

• Buy on iTunes
• Buy on Amazon
• http://www.myspace.com/themarkedmen

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If you haven’t seen this yet, you absolutely must. The breathtakingly gorgeous documentary film about Sigor Ros’ tour of their homeland by my friend Dean DeBlois.

Sigur Ros – Heima

sigur rós break their two-year silence to release their first-ever film and a companion album later this autumn. filmed over two weeks last summer when the band undertook a free tour of iceland, ‘heima’ stands as a colossal labour of love – not to say grand folly – typical of this most exacting of bands.

while most people set up a few cameras at, say, a festival, and call it a dvd, sigur rós decided they would push the boat (bus and plane) out for their debut venture into live film, hauling 40-plus people round 15 locations to the furthest flung corners of their homeland to create something, well, inspirational.

Inspirational indeed.