Video = 3-1/2 of 5
Audio = 3 of 5
It's probably not an impressive enough release to reach the unconverted, but for those of us already in the fold it's a fantastic treat. New West's DVD release of the Polyphonic Spree's "Austin City Limits" performance captures a raw and very real band. And, I think, that's part of the charm.
It's such a joy to watch the entire band jump around. In fact, there's one scene where I'm wondering if Tim DeLaughter almost mistakenly begins to sing too early as he excitedly leaps toward the audience. And you do really get to see it all. The anamorphic widescreen video is a bit on the soft side, but artistically it does an excellent job of moving the camera to where it should be and at a nice pace that doesn't feel like a wild ride.
The audio, however, isn't as much fun. Sure, it's available in 5.1 DTS for all the tracks; and, aside from a stray harp that somehow snuck into the rear channels, the mix is mostly ambient and has applause in the rears, which is appropriate. It's just that the overall production may disappoint those who are used to something a little more polished. I wonder if, perhaps, the big reason for this is because no significant overdubs, if any, were done later on back in the studio to help it all sound better? Or maybe they just didn't do a good enough job of capturing the music from the stage mics. I don't really know the reasons why, but I'll go as far as to say that, at times, the audio just sounds funky and definitely not up to audiophile standards. But, at the same time, it's not so horrible that one can't find some level of enjoyment. After all, it feels as though it should sound very true to the original performance. And that's something that fans will appreciate more and more after repeated listens.
That said, it is my hope that any future video releases from the Polyphonic Spree will take the extra steps necessary to give us some kick-butt audio, no matter if it might seemingly risk becoming too much of a studio creation. Oh, and one final complaint about this DVD; and, I say this with the utmost sincerity: It's too darn short for something so good!
Note #1: The DVD start-up menu is only 4:3, but the actual performance is 16:9.
Note #2: The stereo tracks are encoded as LPCM, if that's more your thing.
