Search - Rebellion (Lies) on DVD

Under the covers

E. A Solinas | MD USA | 03/28/2006

(4 out of 5 stars)

"The Arcade Fire became the runaway indie hits of the past few years, with their swirling, intoxicating music. For fans of this band, the "Rebellion Lies" DVD -- containing a music video and live performances -- is definitely worth getting, even if it's a bit scant on content.

It opens with the music video for the title song -- the band wanders through a small town in the autumn, playing their instruments and singing. Around them, small children are crackling with musical energy, and follow them around the town. Filmed in a blurry, out-of-focus style, it's very simple, but a surprisingly interesting music video.

Then it's live performances: the Much Music Awards, which opens with an announcer raving about the band, before switching to the Arcade Fire themselves. Lots of dead flowers, Vicorian sets, and eerie lighting.

Their opening music is kind of obscured by the crowd at first, but after a few minutes they kick into full gear with a slow-burning rendition of "Rebellion Lies." By the midway point, they are close to bringing down the roof -- especially when the uniformed marching band joins in.

Then it's to the American Music Hall, with a more bare-bones set and more odd lighting. The band tunes up, swigs bottled water, and builds a devastating sonic ramp up to (surprise surprise) "Rebellion Lies." The acoustics are much better in this performance, even when one of the guys pretends to collapse.

Although Win Butler looks (and sounds) like he's about to collapse. Somebody dump a bucket of ice water over that poor man.

Well, that's about it. You get to see the Arcade Fire performing the same song, but in three vastly different ways: as a solid music video, in a flamboyant awards ceremony, and in a bare-bones live performance. And yes, they are good in all these performances.

It also shows them off at their best. They're a bit geeky, a little symphonic, a tad wild, kind of morbid and they also turn out the most unique, unpredictable rock'n'roll that has been heard in years. Even better, they don't always play it the same way: there are enormous changes between the different live versions.

It's also nice to see the band actually perform, with all the passion that they put into their debut album. Violins, drums, and guitars all meld into one gorgeous lo-fi symphony, and proves that no studio polishing made their music as great as it turned out to be.

While the price is a bit steep, Arcade Fire's "Rebellion Lies" is an intriguing look at three different performances. A solid music DVD."