'Infomercials:
Jingles' is a collection of twenty-two video clips
spanning the career of the pioneer band Regurgitator.
Released coinciding with the Jingles CD- a collection
of songs from Regurgitator's 4 albums, Infomercials:
Jingles acts much like a 'Best Of' Compilation,
highlighting the colourful musical transformations
Regurgitator has passed through.
The
Video clips run in order of single release, starting
from the modestly budgeted 1995 EP clip 'I like
it like That' - a designedly disturbing piece with
the 3 apparently-naked band members singing and
frolicking in the shower, and ending with the media-excessive
invasive collage of 'Cmon' from the Eduardo & Rodriguez
Wage War On T-Wrecks album of 2001.
We
are taken on a pleasant ride clip after clip, with
some demanding immediate attention for their creativity
or story telling, and others offering solely a colourful
background to a favourite song. This is not the
kind of DVD that you would sit down and watch attentively,
the video clips total over an hour, and while they
all deserve a viewing, they are as can only be expected
from 22 straight-run video clips, not all 'edge
of your seat' kind of entertainment.
Apart
from its value for sheer collectability (where else
are you going to see a conglomeration of 22 Gurge
video clips including Japanese only singles?), this
DVD proves that Regurgitator has something else
to parade apart from just their music. The transformation
in creative production of their video clips, from
the plain silly and fun tracks of the debut Tuplang
era, to the cute 3d characters and emphasis on computer
technology during the Unit era, then to the aesthetic
experimentation fuelled by a higher budget with
classy graphic and camera work in both Art and Eduardo
and Rodriguez era, is something for the band to
be proud of.
Regurgitator
always push themselves beyond the 'look at me' styled-image
camera-close-up typical pop video clip. The band
obviously releases creativity in their film clips
as well as music, with Quan calling on his interest
in computer graphics to direct and produce the cute
simple-cartoon story telling of Miffy's Simplicity,
the addictively novel 3D animal band members in
Black Bugs, and the raw 3D animation of Freshmint.
Highlights
include: Couldn't do it- a silly simple one-scene
rumble of Ben, Quan and Pete being absurdly playful
with their miming abilities, Blubber Boy- a ridiculous
parody of a silent movie that tells the story of
'blubber boy' Nanook and his Eskimo girlfriend,
Polyester Girl- the outrageous silicone scary robot-barbie
steals the show with her bouncy dance moves, Modern
Life- a hauntingly truthful look at the world of
consumerism through a poor factory worker girl,
I wanna be a Nudist- a colourful fast-food fun story
with bonus singing hamburgers, and Fuck the goddamn
world- a dizzy spin through a seedy party atmosphere,
with a who gives a damn attitude Quan visibly deteriorates,
becoming drunker and drunker.
The
bonus 33 minute documentary, aptly titled 'Doco',
proves disappointing. Its rawness is at first glance
refreshing, but ultimately surfaces as a badly edited
home video with no direction, poor picture quality
and no real heart. The documentary bores as it dwells
on a slow-production process and terrible gone-nowhere
interviews such as on Recovery where Dylan Lewis
tries hopelessly to get some interesting conversation
out of the boys, only to fail miserably. It does
score some points for fans by providing live footage
of the band performing on The 10:30 Slot, Channel
V, a Save ABC Protest and a tour of Japan. It's
almost worth watching just to witness the Japanese
mosh pit- a mass of funny spaced-out awkward bopping
heads, comparably placid after seeing the raging
moshes at BDO footage of the band in action.
Nevertheless,
this DVD is a must have for all Regurgitator fans,
for the rare mass compilation, if nothing else.
Yet this DVD does not just limit itself to die-hard
Gurge fans, it does offer entertainment value with
its multitude of clever video clips. So as long
as you don't make it a 'sit down and watch it all'
activity, music enthusiasts and friends of fans
alike will enjoy a few Jingles.
Tracklisting:
1 I Like it Like That
2 Couldnt Do it
3 Track 1
4 Blubber Boy
5 Fso
6 Kong Foo Sing
7 Miffys Simplicity
8 Everyday Formula
9 Black Bugs
10 Polyester Girl
11 Modern Life
12 ! (The Song Formerly Known As)
13 I Like Your Old Stuff Better Than Your New Stuff
14 Happiness
15 I Wanna Be A Nudist
16 Freshmint
17 Crush the Losers
18 Fat Cop
19 Superstraight
20 Hullabaloo
21 Fuck The Goddamn World (Album ver.)
22 Cmon
Reviewed by Corynne Tait
