DVD-R, D-Trash Records, 2008
www.dtrashrecords.com
To celebrate ten years of D-Trash Records and its 100th release, the label released this special DVD, which includes eighteen full-length videos, plus a few bootleg live videos and a “D-Trash Jukebox” feature which allows you to listen to one track from each release, 1 – 99.
So how does D-Trash equate onscreen as opposed to purely aurally? Like most compilations it’s very hit and miss, and there are some surprises along the way, most noticeably a deep vein of humour (see Hyperdriver’s “Fluffy Bunny Slippers,” contrasting sharply with Celebrity Dead’s “Columbine 2003,” which seems desperate to come across as worthy and falls far from it, into the depths of pure tedium). There are also instances, notably Rabbit Junk’s impressive “In Your Head No One Can Hear You Scream,” with its cutesy slow-mo animation, where the video seems to have been composed whilst listening to an entirely different track.
There’s a lot to get excited about here: for a start, D-Trash is the home of OxygenFad, whose album I reviewed earlier this year, so I had already seen the very firmly tongue-in-cheek “Find Your Own Identity,” but was more than happy to watch it again, especially as it culminates with ninjas! 64 Revolt’s offerings are punchy synth-led electronica with Scooter overtones; both “Next Generation,” with its vaguely White Stripes-style video, and “You Can’t Hold Us Back” and its Aphex Twin-style mutations are infectiously joyful, although the “Hurricane” video is rather poor and the band looks quite self-conscious when the camera is on them. While Hansel’s “Grids” and “Blipverts” are at turns howling misery and barely-there electronic shivers, the videos are a perfect balance between simple image manipulations and time-warped shots of a band who seem very much at home with what they’re doing, and rightly so, as they’re doing it very well! Special mention goes to Mind Disruption’s “Sick Minds,” the images of which some may find disturbing, but credit must be given to a band who chooses to provide subtitles to their own often incomprehensible vocals, and who are able to weave such images so skilfully with a knowing humour that is impossible to ignore.
On the flipside, there are tracks here I admit to sitting through on sufferance. The worst offender was DHC Meinhof. Videos “Like A Fire” and “Anarchist Revolution” (which I admit to not watching the entirety of, as I was cringing too much) are as badly constructed as their accompanying bile-laden tracks. There is absolutely no excuse for F_Noise’s “Fight,” which is frankly embarrassing with its angsty and irritating vocals and a video that looks like it was filmed by a bunch of drunken students.
In conclusion, the diversity of featured artists means there’s something for everyone on this release, and the added bonus of the Jukebox feature makes it a very well rounded retrospective of D-Trash’s work to date. Looking forward to the next ten years!
[8/10]
— Catherine C.