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Names, The - Nightshift : Live At Plan K 15/12/2007 - 25-Oct-09 09:04 PM
A nice reunion concert. If you weren't aware of their work from the original releases, you wouldn't guess the music was that old, it still sounds relevant and stands on its own merits. It's interesting to see these middle age guys playing this kind of material, but if anything they seem more comfortable with themselves than they did in the older videos, and their stage presence is as good as any of their contemporaries. Let's face it, we're not talking about mainstream pop, here, there won't be dancing girls and costumes. Production quality of the video is professional, nothing fancy, but nothing annoying as is often the case. The closer, Magazine's "The Light Pours out of Me", was very good, they really rocked out on that one.

The four original videos included here are interesting, more for fans to see, but they're low budget affairs, of course, and won't win any awards. Still, if you're new to the band, this DVD wouldn't be the worst introduction, and these old clips would let you hear their original studio sound, which was very "Factory", if you will. As a whole, I think their repertoire is among the strongest of the 2nd tier 1980+/- Factory and Crepuscule stables -- not quite in Joy Division territory (well, how many others come close) -- but nevertheless a very good addition to a collection of post punk / cold wave music, with a strong emphasis on melodies, and a personal favorite.

Rounding out the playlist is a short, private, basement (as in: downstairs) set that will mainly be of interest to core fans and collectors, as it was privately video'd without plans for release, and is included to show the apparent germination of their subsequent reunion. Among the few covers here is an upbeat rendition of "New Dawn Fades" (speaking of Joy Division), but again the production quality of the picture is purely home video, albeit with surprisingly good audio, sounding like a direct board feed rather than a cheap camera mike.

Four of the main concert tracks also feature on the compilation DVD "A Factory Night (Once Again)".

Joy Division - Here Are The Young Men + Substance - 01-Sep-09 12:14 PM
The value of this set lies primarily in its rarity as a visual document and historical significance, rather than as entertainment. If you consider JD to be of considerable importance to modern music, the content here can be a glimpse into what you may have missed at the time. However, the quality leaves much to be desired, from the noise in the pictures, to the fact that the disc 1 concert footage is simply not a professional production. The videos on disc 2 have brief descriptions and commentary, which are unfortunately scrolled across the screen during their play, as opposed to being shown prior.
The quality of the music is not the question, merely the presentation, most of which is what one would expect of a bootleg.
The last element is a documentary from 1988, which has different earlier interviews than other recently released videos.

Antena - Versions Spéciales - Camino Del Sol - 11-Aug-09 01:51 AM
This is an outstanding album. These remixes are all very creative without being heavy-handed, to the end that if one were unfamiliar with the originals, one might not realize that they are, in fact, remixes. However, there is such an added flavor to these tracks that the originals, in comparison, may seem somewhat flat, and that's even considering that the originals are very good songs already.

I would say that if you like indie dance/pop along the lines of Saint Etienne as well as laid back jazzy samba, you'll find the sum to be greater than the parts.

X10 - Semblance - 01-Jul-09 04:51 AM
For those expecting a harsh grating sound like Klinik, this won't meet that expectation very well. What you will find, mostly, is something more fluid, trancey, ethereal, not dissimilar to mid period Delerium. Electronics, ie synthesizers and sequencers, are at the fore here, often matched with Niki Mono's understatedely eerie vocals. On the tracks with Marc Ickx there is a more gravelly quality, leaning into Skinny Puppy territory. All in all a well balanced offering which is very listenable and enjoyable.

A Certain Ratio - Mind Made Up - 23-May-09 05:50 PM
Two tracks in, and I'm thinking if the rest of the album is anything near this level, then it's a bona fide classic (or as the sticker on front proclaims, a masterpiece). Third track starts strong, sounds a bit more conventional. Album continues: moody, deeply funky, laid back yet intense, brooding, ethereal, tight rhythms / loose improv'd vocals, experimental. Simply outstanding, and only halfway through. Middle section perhaps not so fist-raisingly good, but still better than most artists could hope for, and then finishing strong again toward the end, closing with a piece reminiscent of their classics "Winter Hill" and "Si Firmi O Grido."

Building on the classic ACR sound, adding new, interesting sound textures, this record is danceable yet introverted, informed by other great post punk and dance sounds, thoroughly modern, uniquely English, adventurous. One gets the sense that the players had a lot of joy in this production.

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