Rainer Maria
Anyone In Love With You (Already Knows) (2004)
Scott Heisel
Anyone In Love With You (Already Knows) is the newest offering from Rainer Maria. It's rare to see a band casually labelled as "emo" be as consistently influential, genre-defining, and just plain good as they have over the past 8 years, although they are not without their errors [a majority of A Better Version Of Me, for example]. The band made it through the new millennium relatively unscathed, unlike many of their past contemporaries, and this live DVD/CD release helps close the book on the first chapter of their lives, show that they are still musically relevant, and hopefully putting the rumors of an impending breakup to bed.
The DVD, shot by the people at BandPhotography.com, is well-edited. There's a variety of angles and types of film used, allowing for many interesting looks throughout the performance. The DVD is also interspersed with cute little still graphics in between some songs, which is a nice change from what is usually there on the DVD - a black screen with ambient crowd noise. Kinda weird. Rainer Maria's set is typical of what they've been playing for the past year or so, so if you caught them headlining with Denali or Mates Of State and really enjoyed it, this is right up your alley. Classic "Tinfoil" and an interesting fusing of "The Reason The Night Is Long" and "Situation: Relation" closes the DVD as their encore, and it's a good ending to a very solid performance. The DVD also includes the band's video for "Ears Ring" as well as a photo gallery, both of which are nice additions.
Anyone In Love With You (Already Knows) also comes with a companion 11-track live CD, with recordings taken from a half-dozen locales over the past few years. The recordings, while not Live At Budokan, are crisp and clear, and a step up from your typical indie live recording sound. 5 of the 11 tracks come from A Better Version Of Me, unarguably the band's worst album. This leaves only 6 tracks to be divvied up among their other 3 LPs and the Atlantic EP - there are definitely no surprises here. This is my only real gripe - I would have loved to see some more older/rarer material get documented on a release like this, but that's just the music geek in me showing.
This DVD/CD combo is a worthy addition to any fan's collection, as well as a surprisingly good introduction to any newcomer. All the "hits" are here, and the "misses" are kept to a minimum. Rainer Maria is really captured perfectly here - from Caithlin's powerful-yet-sweet voice to Kyle's spastic dancing and wondrously off-key harmonies to Bill's jazz-influenced and intricate drumming. A worthwhile purchase.