Posted on: September 17, 2007 Posted by: James McQuiston Comments: 0

The Mae Shi – Lock the Skull, Load the Gun / 2006 5RC / http://www.mae-shi.com / http://www.5rc.com / 

The Mae Shi are a very good act. I was able to go and get their split with Rapider than Horsepower, and to get something that is much more active and colorful out of the band is really a treat. In a sense, what The Mae Shi do during “Lock the Skull, Load the Gun” is get a number of different directors to create videos for them. Each track has a distinctly different feel to it, and this means that there is not much in the way of cohesion enjoyed by the DVD. That is not a big deal, as the music played by The Mae Shi do that job well. OOne must keep in mind that while the theme behind this DVD is similar to The Sun’s first DVD album, that the type of videos are much different between the two in terms of funding and in overall theme. There is a much nineties, low-fi feel to “Lock the Skull, Load the Gun” that is not quite as present during the much more prim and polished Sun DVD.

The one thing that seems to be cutting edge with this DVD is the use of technologies by these directors. For example, there are flash animations strewn throughout. While individuals may not like The Mae Shi’s music all that much, they can turn off the sound and just watch the videos that are presented. The talent shown in each of these videos can actually bring other individuals into the entire animation sphere. There are so many distinct styles on this DVD that individuals have to find at least one that they like. Of course, there are other things on this DVD besides the videos. More important has to be the documentary of the band’s US tour. There is nothing really out of the ordinary with this documentary, but I would not have the slightest idea how to go and change the overall tone or style of this film. The front-end loader for this DVD is less than intuitive; there are a number of unmarked buttons that individuals have no clue where they go. Where the videos make this DVD a must buy, the documentary does not really distinguish itself from all of the other tour documentaries out on the market. I understand that bands think that they have made it with a documentary, but I think having fifteen or twenty videos on a DVD is something much more inspired and what The Mae Shi do best here. If the DVD only had the videos on it, it would be well worth the cost of purchase. To have both the documentary and the videos present as is the case here, individuals have more than enough Mae Shi footage to last them until the band can cut their next album. There should be no worries in listeners’ minds that they will get ripped off purchasing this DVD. Perhaps the band can continue to work with the DVD format and have videos made for each of their subsequent albums; it would increase sales, for sure.

Rating: 6.5/10

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