Covering a period between 2001 and 2009, 1001 Nights displays an array of videos from Damon & Naomi‘s near decade-long tour. The video includes a few shorts by Naomi, including Song To The Siren and Japanese Scrapbook. There’s also a pair of live performances filmed by Hiroo Ishihaa, and three films by Cedrick Eymenier.

Song To The Siren is occasionally schizophrenic; the sometimes backstage ramblings and frequent but brief clips from live performances give the video it’s edge — where it truly stands out, of course, is when an entire song is captured. Still, even the song clips demonstrate Damon & Naomi’s ability to mesmerize an audience.

Whether Damon is treating the audience to a finger-plucked solo track, or the duo’s psychedelic rock is diving into a shoegaze-ridden, harmonic electric guitar drone, this is a band that continues to turn heads. Perhaps one of the better inclusions in Song To The Siren is the interviewing of fans, passers-by, and music critics. The turning of tables gives 1001 Nights a refreshing twist to the norm.

Japanese Songbook is collection of videos shot by Naomi and includes stunning performances with the excellent Japanese avant-garde band Ghost, as well as extra footage from the road. Cedrick Eymenier three films all act as music videos, and include the mystic “Cruel Queen”, as well as “Within These Walls” and “Defibrillation”. These ethereal shorts focus on the calming nature Damon & Naomi’s music can often have, when it’s not threatening to shred apart any sanity with intense solos and drones.

1001 Nights is obviously a video for the true fan, those who have loved Damon & Naomi over the years, or who are obsessed with their prior band, Galaxie 500 — after all, the video does include a quite stunning and rare rendition of “Blue Thunder” live in 2005. Both live sets filmed by Ishihaa at the O-Nest in Tokyo capture the dual sides of this duo; the peace and the chaos, the soft and the loud. For long-time fans and new fans alike, 1001 Nights is a more than worthy addition to your collection.

You can check out a few clips from the DVD over at Factory 25.

Damon & Naomi: Forgot To Get High [mp3]

Damon & Naomi: The Mirror Phase [mp3]