The joyful wedding between Yoshihiro Hanno's musical gift and the enchanting images of Yuki Kawamura gave us a pure piece of art, I still can’t say if this a must have but it’s top class for real. As many of you can probably deduce a series of clips appropriate for Hanno's melodies necessitates a couple of important characteristis: the first one is an strong lyrical power, the second one is an (apparent) simplicity with which the afore mentioned power is articulated. Different videos for different atmospheres, but there's a "file rouge" that links the nine videos (ten including the bonus one) of this dvd, here your eyes are gonna meet sliding doors, the womb of a void warehouse, breaking pieces of glass, leaves...beautiful leaves, clouds and an ocean of colours. If you think (like I do) some contemporary japanese electronic music is strongly emotionally charged but also gentle and shy (think of Sawako or Minamo for example): the images featuring Kawamura's clips are made out of the same fabric and embody the same spirit. It's hard to choose between the different clips but it's also so easy to fall in love with episode like "Slide" or "Jour de reve" or "Play at dusk"?!...above all in the last case how can you resist to dive plunge your thought s into such a good-looking cumulus of clouds?. When the images aren’t rendering beautifully the unseen passing of time they will guide you into the secret life of elements (take "Ve" for example). In the last case the view I probably really close to that of a an insect or a rock thus we can say the ordinary becomes extraordinary. Hanno's music keeps its enchanting effect intact but with the aid of Kawamura the inward eye experience brings into another dimension.

After the success of "the Proposition"'s movie (written and scored by Cave and Ellis) Mute tops it off with the release of this double NTSC DVD, featuring Uli M. Schueppel's 1990 movie "The Road To God Knows Where" and the 1992 Amesterdam concert "Live at the Paradiso". The former is a b/w documentary film (113min) with subtitles in English, French, Italian, German and Spanish that documents their 1989 coast-to-coast US tour and features footage shot backstage, on stage, at the hotels, in the tour bus and on the road in general. It's "only" 15 years ago but, probably because of the style and the absence of color, it really feels like (in a good, nostalgic and authentic way) you are watching a documentary from the seventies. This first disc also features a vey interesting short film (by the same director) entitled "The Song", with scenes from one of their recording sessions in Berlin and a "City of Refuge" video clip. For more info about the director check out his site www.shueppel-films.de. The latter DVD features a live concert (in color) edited by John Hillcoat (who was also involved in "the Proposition"). Well shot, a lot of cameras, well edited, "Live at the Paradiso" really showcases the intimate and intense cathartic and raw energy that Cave and his Bad Seeds can release from a stage.
If you are a fan of Cave you can't miss this!

As one of the most influential bands in the history of krautrock, Can, have contributed to changing the rules of the game and keep contributing with their many side and solo projects even today. This jam packed double DVD release is a re-release and comes without the third audio disc contained in its original form, but is still a very good testimony of all of that. Among other things, you'll be able to enjoy a documentary (compiled by Rudi Dolezal & Hannes Rossacher), a short tribute film by Brian Eno, footage from the Echo Awards, the "Can-Free-Concert" (shot by Robbie Mueller and directed by Peter Przygodda, who edited most of Wim Wenders films) filmed live at the Cologne Sporthalle in 1972, "Can Notes" (filmed by Hildegard Schmidt and compiled by Przygodda), classic and rare TV performances, studio footage, 4 new 5.1 mixes and the making of them in studio, interviews, photo gallery, biographies of all band members and collaborators, discography, history and more... Most content is in german but has english subtitles. Basically the content will just keep rolling out of of your media player, so if you like Can, it is pretty obvious what you outta do.

Under the moniker "perspectives on welcome to goodbye" the trio ROTERSAND presents us here a remix EP picking up the lines and the success of their last year’s full length release "Welcome To Goodbye". Entitled to be the best "Electro-Album 2005" (Zillo – Musikmagazin) this album could enter the 2nd position on the DAC year-end album charts – only DEPECHE MODE with their "Playing The Angel" could hold the top position. So that’s of course a not expected success for this German act and so no real wonder, that a follow-up needed to be produced and released. First off, the concept of this EP differs from any usual compareable release because it focuses not only on some more or less worthy remix contributions, this EP is holds also asides this two new tracks "Give It All Away" and "Drop Your Education", and ROTERSAND themselves reworked their own tracks. The result is satisfying, the new versions of "Dare To Live" and "Almost Wasted" can more convince here. But the highlights are both new tracks, especially "Give It All Away" has an extremely remarkable melodic content, also the vocal duet between Rasc and Julia Beyer of the new Alfa Matrix signing TECHNOIR can totally convince. SOMAN ("By The Waters") and haujobb. ("Strom") offer the mentioned remix contributions and make this EP complete. 9 tracks in all, only "Almost Wasted" is featured in two different versions – if you liked somehow "Welcome To Goodbye" you have to buy this new one as well. Also for me personally this EP convinced me easier then the full-length. Hats down, guys, good and modern Electro/Futurepop stuff!

After various line-up change during the years and after releasing two albums and several demos, the Manes see the release of their new EP titled [VIEW] that will be their last release for the Italian label Code 666/Aural Music. This new EP contains two new songs ("The neoflagellata revision" and "Knife & kleenex"), two covers ("Cinder alley" originally by 16 Horespower and "Title" which is somewhat inspired by Duran Duran) and three remixes de-constructed by Cordell Klier and DJ Don Tomaso. The two original songs are good mixture of melodic goth metal with powerful electronic e.b.m. arrangements (a sort of Metallica plays Nine Inch Nails). The two covers are two melancholic metal ballads (I don't appreciate the genre, so I can't tell you it they are good or not. Certainly they are well recorded and all, but I'm not a lover of this stuff). The two Cordell Klier remix ("Terminus deconstructus" and "Terminus dei profundis") balance well the industrial and the electronic sources. The latter is a little extreme (hisses and digital noise are the main elements) but it's the only noisy track of the lot, so it's ok. DJ Don Tomaso's remix of "Terminus" make of it a dub track without deleting its goth vein. A good track but it doesn't evolve during it six minutes lenght.
At the moment the band is without label but Kyrck Productions just reissued their three demos on one CD, so you can check their music anyway.