An Island

Vincent Moon built his name off his unique take on filming bands for French site La Blogotheque. Capturing them stripped down, in unusual locations, the director was able to cut through much of the artifice usually associated with filming live music. The number of imitators that sprang up as a result of his Take Away Shows only cemented his reputation. This makes An Island, a 45-minute doc following Danish group Efterklang, a rare case where the director is far better known than the band. In August of 2010, the group and film crew decamped to an island off the Danish mainland, where Moon captured the eight-piece act performing in unusual spaces — abandoned buildings, the back of a moving truck — often complementing their sound with found instruments and even musicians, namely 200 local residents who were brought into the band's fluid line-up. An Island has plenty of Moon's trademark found-footage style and features some pretty stellar performances from Efterklang — those unfamiliar with the group will certainly want to track down their Magic Chairs full-length after watching this film. Bonus features include extra performances, a 2009 sound check and short film Temporary Copenhagen, featuring Take Away Show-style performances by Copenhagen acts like Choir of Young Believers, Chimes & Bells and the Sad Lovers. Beautifully packaged in a limited edition, custom-made case, the DVD includes production stills, liner notes from the band and a downloadable EP from Efterklang's 2010 Roskilde performance. Conceived as a full-length to the Take Away Show's singles, An Island misses the mark slightly — like The Simpsons Movie, this feels like a really good, extended version of Moon's work. But it's still heads and shoulders above most music docs, thanks to Moon's restless need to create something different from the norm.