Plot: What’s it about?
This is another installment in Quickband’s Circuit series, the ninth one of course and as has been the case with prior releases, music fans have a lot to like here. This episode includes looks at such talent as Rufus Wainwright, Rinocerose, David Holmes, Red Krayola, At The Drive-In, Elf Power, and Soft Machine, in addition to a handful of others. As usual, this series offers a look at the artists and their music, but also a peek behind the scenes so to speak, via various alternate audio and video tracks. Almost every section allows for some sort of interaction, from a single bonus audio track to a full selection of alternate audio & video options. Some offer music videos, some have comments from the artists, even live performance tracks, and some other choices in some cases. In other words, the content might not look like much on the surface, but each section is layered in features and that means a lot of goods have been packed into this small disc.
I’ve never much for this series of releases, although I do love Quickband’s Short series, so I was not too taken with this ninth issue. As has been the case for the past few installments, this disc is pretty much a promotional tool for the bands, with little in terms of real content to be found. I am sure fans will appreciate the brief snippets of interviews or live performances, but I don’t think enough of that is included to warrant buying the release. I know the price is low and all, but I think more substantial content, as opposed to numerous smaller features would be a better formula for this series. As far as DVD magazines go however, Circuit is always well crafted and easy to access, aside from the terrible ads that surface as you browse the content. If you’re a fan of the musicians covered, then give this disc a once over and due to the low price, I think you’ll be pleased. But don’t expect much depth or insight from the materials here, this is pretty much fluff coverage and little else, but hey, the price is low and the features are decent enough.
Video: How does it look?
The materials used in this release come from various sources, so the visual level varies from segment to segment. The more polished scenes look better of course, but I didn’t find any of the sections to be that lacking, to be honest. You could tell when inferior equipment was used, but as far as transfers go, this one never disappoints much in the end. Again, some segments look better than others, but all have an at least decent look to them, no real complaints to discuss on the visual quality front.
Audio: How does it sound?
This release uses both 2.0 and 5.1 surround sound options, which allow the musical content to be presented in fine form. Of course, the 5.1 segments are richer and more immersive, but I was never let down with the audio at any time while looking the content over. The surrounds come to life when the music starts and the mixes are very well done, no real complaints to be made on this end here. The normal interview or such sequences also have a pleasant tone, which means the vocals come across with no issues to report. This disc never falters in terms of audio, with a solid presentation in all instances.
Supplements: What are the extras?
As I mentioned above, this disc contains various alternate commentary tracks, live performance options, music videos, and other supplements. You can also view talent files on the featured artists, in case you want to know a little more about them.
