"Ultimate Reality" (Carpark) pairs absurdist electronic artist Dan Deacon's (left) three-part psychedelic rave suite of that name with Jimmy Joe Roche's (right) surreal Technicolor video. Baltimore-based Deacon's brilliant, mind-exploding music uses live percussion and Casio and computer keyboards. At their most lucid, Roche's distorted mash-ups include freaky footage of Arnold Schwarzenegger in guises from "Conan" to "Kindergarten Cop." Extras include videos for Deacon's simpler Casio-based ditties "Crystal Cat" and "Kill 'Em All."
Kaada/Patton's "Live" (Ipecac) captures Mike Patton (Mr. Bungle, Tomahawk, and the voice behind the mutants from "I Am Legend") and Norwegian composer John Kaada at Denmark's Roskilde festival, in a one-off performance for the pair's 2005 collaborative disc, "Romances." Performing as a seven-piece band, which included members of Kaada's group Coloroform, the concert was shot in black and white, accentuating the moody, film-noir-influenced instrumentals. A dapper-looking Patton adds Bungle-like vocal sounds, and on the occasional, contrasting soul song, he croons like a matinee idol.
Given Pete Doherty's serial drug busts, a visa to enter the United States seems unlikely anytime soon. So, short of buying a plane ticket, Babyshambles's "Live in Manchester" (Eagle Vision) is the best way to see the former Libertines singer-guitarist perform. However, this footage - shot in black and white and color; the former suits gray Manchester well - dates from Babyshambles's 2004 tour, and the chain-smoking Doherty is mumbling and mediocre onstage. Dull, fly-on-the-wall backstage scenes are neither celebrity-packed nor filled with salacious goings-on. Altogether, a rambling "Don't Look Back"-style effort, minus the wit.
