Search - Flesh And Bones Electric Fun on DVD

DVD does not disappoint

Timothy Stonehocker | Sunnyvale, CA | 03/23/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Mute math is one of my favorite bands. I was at one of their live shows during the CD release tour last spring and have been to few other shows that rival it.

So when this DVD arrived from Amazon, I had pretty high expectations. Many concert DVD's I've purchased have had poorly mixed sound, uncreative video production, or simply bad quality video resolution, etc. This DVD avoided all of those pitfalls and added a little something extra too.

The picture from this DVD on my hi-def TV is great. During most of the concert, the image cuts to a new camera angle every 3-5 seconds, but in a way that I think really fits the music (and during appropriate points in the music, they slow down and/or cut to wider angle shots). Most of the cameras use close angles and provide really high quality images. The lighting is well done, generally giving a very immediate feel. There are also a few intentionally lower-res cameras used for effects, including one clipped to the end of Paul's keytar which provides for some amusing shots!

The sound quality is fine. I did have to play with my receiver settings a little bit before I was competely happy, and even then the mix is clearly a live mix in which the lead vocals are sometimes less clear than on the studio recordings, but that hasn't bothered me too much.

These guys do put on a creative live show, using a number of improvised electronic instruments, as well as playing more standard instruments with creative techniques (like using a mallet to excite the electric guitar). So if the camera work doesn't particularly hold your interest through the entire concert, the stuff going on on-stage will. I especially like the segment on the song Reset where Paul 'plays' the effects processor during Darren's drum solo, to accomplish live some of the sounds I had just assumed were added during production of the album.

So, if you like the vibe of the music (and how can you not!) this DVD comes highly recommended, even if you're not a regular listener already."

The only downside is that Earthsuit never got the same treat

J. Peacock | 04/26/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I knew Mute Math was special before hearing a sound. An ardent fan of Earthsuit, I was crushed when they broke up, until the first band that arose from the ashes released their debut ep, and the opening notes of Control reached my ears. A musical love affair was born that day, that came into it's own when I caught them live on their independent cd-release tour. The sheer energy was a force to be reckoned with; combined with the incredible musicianship of each member, seamlessly integrated seemed too much to wish for, but I was seeing it, singing along to it.

I picked up the album that night, and listening to it was exciting, but inevitably a letdown after the boundless passion of the night before. Therefore, you can understand why I was excited to give the new Flesh & Bones Electric Fun DVD a listen. This concert dvd blitzes through all the band's best songs (most of their current catalogue), stomping through bizarre percussion, fretless bass riffing and keyboard gymnastics. Multi-instrumentalism abounds, and the sound, while distinctly live, is tightly wound and carries through where the shots are perhaps less perfect.

This is a rare occasion where the dvd is actually a better selling point for Mute Math than even their album is: the raw passion, the intricate musicality and makeshift instruments (the mallet/guitar combination was particularly intriguing) make for wonderful entertainment, and second only to the incomparable experience in person.

Pick this up. You will not regret it."

Excellent DVD - You need to see MuteMath live!

Adam McCune | 05/12/2007

(4 out of 5 stars)

"If you're familiar at all with MuteMath, you know that one of their trademarks is they put on an amazing live show. I saw them a couple months ago, and it was one of the best live shows I've ever seen. This DVD is basically a recording of the live show they are currently touring with. (I already said the show was amazing, right?)

Pros: The audio quality on the DVD is great. You can hear all the instruments and vocals clearly. The actual show footage is about an hour long. In the DVD extras section, the acoustic in-store performance of Reset is also very good. The behind the scenes featurette is entertaining, but I think their podcasts are better.

Cons: The only reason I gave this DVD four stars instead of five has to do with the editing job. Another reviewer mentioned how the shots switch quickly from one camera to another, and a lot of the shots are close-ups of individual band members. While this does kind of give you a feeling of being right there, you also miss out on some of the stuff other band members are doing while the close-ups are showing just one person. I would have preferred more wide shots showing the entire band and a less frequent jumps between cameras. (I realize this is a personal preference most likely due to the fact that I am over 30 years old.) Also, the footage is standard full screen; widescreen would have been nice.

Having said that, I strongly recommend this DVD. The music is great, and the extended concert versions of some of the songs are fantastic. Sometimes I play the DVD in the background without watching it just to listen to the music. There is a sufficient quantity of keyboard handstands and crazy drum solos for all to enjoy. Buy it, and go see them live!"

Mute math "flesh and bones electric fun" live dvd

Rick L. Frye | ventura california | 01/20/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"this is one of the top ten live dvd concert videos of all time, with the new "u2 3d" live concert/movie coming out soon also in the top ten. as far as the passing of time and our kids listening to the favorites from the past that we loved this is right up there together with "stop making sense" by talking heads.

my 22yr old son just introduced me to mute mate this past year and he was raised to the talking heads stop making sense live concert/movie at a VERY early age and flesh and bones is his newest favorite live dvd concert."