This week's music DVDs reviewed
ARCTIC MONKEYS
Arctic Monkeys at the Apollo
****
Domino
Despite the Sheffield band's "right proper" sense of assured earthiness, the success of Arctic Monkeys means that when it came to filming their first DVD, the big stylish guns were out in force. Is it a waste of resources?
Yes, but only because Arctic Monkeys don't need whistles and bells (nor, we would argue, the combined talents and skills of award-winning editors and directors of photography). No complaints, though, as the band level-headedly rip through a set (filmed last year in Manchester) that includes pretty much everything from their two albums. Cracking music, brilliant photography - we're spoiled for Christmas already.
www.arcticmonkeysattheapollo.com
TONY CLAYTON-LEA
ARTHUR RUSSELL
Wild Combination
****
Plexi
In his lifetime, Arthur Russell was a great one for connections. The classically trained cellist from Iowa was a tireless collaborator and adventurer, a leading light in both New York's avant-garde scene (where he worked with Philip Glass and David Byrne) and the glitterball set built around the city's nascent dance scene, where he made tunes as Dinosaur L.
Yet for all this madcap productivity, little is known about Russell beyond broad brush-strokes that concentrate on his eccentricity, eclecticism and endless pursuit of perfectionism.
This tender, captivating portrait does a commendable job of filling in some of the blanks. Interviews with Russell's parents and longtime partner Tom Lee help to recreate his world, but it's the music, in all its many takes and shades, that really continue to tell the story of this unique artist.
www.arthurrussellmovie.com
JIM CARROLL
