Palace of Mirrors Live, a vibrant performance DVD, showcases the virtuosic abilities of six-piece group Estradasphere. Their musical maelstrom of classical, metal, jazz, Balkan, Japanese, and surf is a spectacle to behold on stage.
Since the release of the Palace of Mirrors album (The End Records) in 2006, the band has placed an increased emphasis on live visual accompaniment. The DVD intersperses footage that supplements the band during its dual-screen projection and light show, flashing sharply colorized video clips or high-contrast black-and-white stills.
Each song acts as its own chapter of an untidy plotline. The visuals are best taken as abstracts; prismatic colors coat the members on stage as well as the interwoven video, both of which overlay the other.
Estradasphere’s intricate arrangements are given some live alterations, as a blazing shamisen solo augments “A Corporate Merger” and the Palace of Mirrors outro crushes and wails with an unearthly organ. Simply, the set is bewildering.
A slew of bonus songs — including covers of classical composers Frédéric Chopin and Camille Saint-Saëns and modern composers Nino Rota and Bernard Herrmann — finish capturing the Palace of Mirrors tour.
– Scott Morrow
Estradasphere
Palace of Mirrors Live
DVD, 80 minutes
$15.98, The End Records
Estradasphere: www.estradasphere.com
The End Records: www.theendrecords.com