Live is a CD/DVD by Black Rebel Motorcycle Club made up primarily of concert performances in Berlin, Dublin and Glasgow, with some Bonus Disc video footage from various studio and radio sessions. This increasingly prolific band (including Live and 2010’s planned Beat the Devil's Tattoo, BRMC will have put out 4 full-length releases in as many years) is fronted by former Brian Jonestown Massacre-ist Peter Hayes and longtime collaborator Robert Levon Been. Accused of being overly influenced on their first two albums by the likes of Jesus and Mary Chain, My Bloody Valentine, and other reverb-drenched rocks of yesteryear, the group pulled in the reins a bit on their 2005 LP, Howl, whose stripped down, acoustic arrangements and stomping percussion made Hayes and Been's almost identical stoned, sneering vocals seem more endearing and less aloof or posturing. It is, thus far, the only release of theirs for which I have a great fondness.

Having been documented on the tour for Baby 81, the 2007 album that marked a not-necessarily-welcome return to form for BRMC, the sets here tend more towards the electrified side of their catalog, although Howl's “Ain’t No Easy Way” and “Promise” appear on this collection, as well as a B-side from that album, entitled “Mercy”. My initial disappointment in the lack of my favorite material gave way to curiosity at what exactly their newest songs sounded like. And it turns out they sound pretty much as one might expect: fuzzy bass, nasally vocals, carefully crafted distortion and feedback, all blanketed by reverb. They aren't bad songs at all — quite a few have been getting repeat listenings from me — but a fairly predictable vibe envelopes the whole project.

The DVD of concert footage heavily spotlights the two front men as they swap lead roles and occasionally instruments from song to song. There is so little camera time given to the drummer that I couldn't tell if it was the now-estranged Nick Jago or his replacement Leah Shapiro on stage. The show is full of the rapid, strobe light cuts that seem to raise the ire of some sensitive music film aficionados, who would much rather see the long, confident cinematography of The Last Waltz than a bunch of "MTV" camera moves. Not everyone can get Martin Scorsese to shoot their gigs, though, and the frenetically edited concert looks good and sounds great. I found myself a little bit perplexed by the color palette, though. I think the video is actually shot in color, but I only got that impression from periodic glimpses of pale blue during flashes of light on an otherwise smoky grey and black stage.
“Are all their live shows in black and white?” joked a friend of mine who was watching the DVD with me, implying that they even appear in monochromatic tones when you see them in the flesh. It’s a valid question, I'd say, given the aesthetic that they’ve meticulously crafted for themselves.