Kieran
Hebden and Dan Snaith have, over the years, forged a
true friendship which goes well beyond their respective
career. Often seen playing at the same events, and found
within musical range of each other, it is no surprise
to see their record labels publishing similar projects
within weeks of each other.
.
Both Everything Ecstatic and Marino
collect a series of previously unavailable videos, yet
the concept between each release is slightly different.
While Everything Ecstatic is in fact an audio-visual
version of the album he released earlier this year,
with contributions from Ed Holdsworth, Tom Kemp, Sam
Jeffers, Dan Wilde, Jodie Mack and Hebden himself, Marino
collects all the visuals created by Dublin-based animator
Delicious 9 for Caribou’s recent live shows, spanning
most of his Up
In Flames and The
Milk Of Human Kindness albums.
.
Everything Ecstatic introduces a video for
each of the ten tracks of Kieran Hedben’s last
album, taking the project to a whole new level. If none
of the films truly add to the music as such, they however
provide an interesting new layer on which to experience
this piece of work. At times, the music becomes almost
second to the videos, while at others, especially on
Dan Wilde’s Smile Around The Face, Jason
Evans’s Sun Drums And Soil, Ed Holdsworth’s
wonderfully poetic High Five or You Were
There With Me, directed by Kieran Hedben’s
and Kathryn Bint.
.
Caribou’s Marino offers a slightly different angle
on the music. All created by the same studio as visual
support to his live set, these videos cover a wide visual
scope, ranging from the truly mesmerising to the hilarious.
Although created to fit the music in a very special
context, these sixteen videos form an interesting suite
of varied inspiration. Using a mixture of real images
and animations, Delicious 9 offer their interpretation
of Snaith’s psychedelic musical scope and give
each one of the sixteen tracks presented here a new
layer of fantasy.
.
These two DVDs come with an extra CD each, featuring
previously unreleased material and, in the case of Everything
Ecstatic, an extended version of Turtle Turtle
Up. Similar in concept, these two DVDs provide a surprising
new dimension to the music of both Four Tet and Manitoba,
and, although not essential in essence, they are likely
to please fans.
Everything Ecstatic 4.2/5 / Marino: The Videos
4/5 |
