Placebo

While Placebo might have disappeared off the musical map for many, they still have a solid enough fan base that they've reached their sixth studio album (2009's Battle for the Sun) and apparently played to more than two-and-a-half million fans during their last world tour. Obviously some people still love them and that's very clear on their second live DVD, We Come In Pieces. Filmed in London at the Brixton Academy, this is Placebo in front of a crowd that would be happy no matter what they did. As a concert DVD, it's pretty solid, although the frenetic cuts and edits get a little exhausting after the first couple of songs. I'm imagining they're used to make up for the fact that despite Brian Molko's obvious charisma, the band aren't the most interesting to watch onstage, due to their businesslike delivery. The songs lean heavily on their more recent albums, meaning many of their earlier singles are overlooked. There's also a mundane cover of Nirvana's "All Apologies" thrown in. Basically, it's a concert. Both the Blu-Ray and double-DVD versions include Coming Up For Air, an hour-long documentary made during the 20-month tour, and it's a great deal more interesting simply because it gives better insight into the band. Molko does make a lot of affected monologues about touring and Placebo in general, but that aside, it's an entertaining video diary. It would be hard to recommend the single-DVD version because the concert by itself is too one-dimensional to appeal to anyone but rabid followers, but the two parts together offer a more well-rounded representation of a group midway through their second decade together. Also included are six more live tracks recorded at various times and locations during the tour, and a music video for "Trigger Happy Hands," which is ten minutes of weirdness with clowns.