The Format - B-Sides and Rarities & Live At The Mayan Theatre

B-Sides and Rarities

For lovers of The Format, B-Sides and Rarities is heaven. However, if you’re not a fan, you should probably stop reading this and go purchase the band’s latest proper release, Dog Problems. Hell, send me an e-mail and I will buy you a copy and personally run it to your house (I was in track and cross country in high school so I can promise a speedy delivery). They are simply essential for any fan of pop, rock, or one of the many combinations of the two. If you are savvy enough to have picked up on The Format previously, you are definitely going to want to check out this release. For less than $10 The Format gives you 18 more tracks of their wonderfully poppy tunes. B-Sides and Rarities features five demo/acoustic versions of tracks off of Dog Problems with the remainder of the tracks ranging from Interventions and Lullabies sound-alikes such as “Faith in Fast Cars” to a cover of The Kinks truly bizarre “Apeman”. In short, if you’re a fan of The Format, you’re going to want to check this out, if you’re not, I’ll be lacing up my Aasics in anticipation for your e-mail.

 Live At The Mayan Theatre

After seeing The Format live three times in the past year, I was eagerly anticipating their live DVD The Format, Live at the Mayan Theater. I am proud to say that any fan of The Format will not be disappointed in the least. Their flawless live show is captured perfectly. Actually, more than perfectly because their date at the Mayan was more than just another tour date; the boys in The Format put on their best duds, added strings and a horn section, and received help from Jim Adkins (Jimmy Eat World), and members of Limbeck, Steel Train, and Reuben’s Accomplice. On top of that, Dog Problems is played front to back in its entirety and nine more tracks from the band’s catalogue are also captured. In addition to the live set, the DVD also includes a short documentary of the band including a quick bio, band history, and Sam speaking! I found more worth in the documentary section than I normally do in band DVDs. Instead of band members farting on each other and screwing around in gas stations, you actually get to know the band a little better, which is what its purpose is right? While it may be no “Drive Well, Sleep Carefully” (Death Cab for Cutie’s divine documentary), The Format, Live at the Mayan Theater is certainly worth the price of admission.