The concept is high and a little odd: Burn To Shine, a new DVD series, invites musicians to houses scheduled for destruction, where they perform a single song with only a film crew watching. The first volume, set in Washington D.C. and curated by Fugazi's Brendan Canty, is set in a small house marked for practice-blaze ignition by the local fire department. Before the crews can come light it up and put it out, though, a cavalcade of sweater-wearing punks give some heated performances.
The house's impending mortality doesn't really give any added emotional weight to these songs, but the bands do a fine job of resonating just the same. Q And Not U tears through "X-Polynation" even without audience energy to feed on, and Weird War's Ian Svenonius can't help but mug. But the best moments in this cold room come from lone performers: Ted Leo gives an electrifying solo-electric reading of "Bleeding Powers," his fiery, melancholic bit of nostalgia, and Bob Mould negates years of strange meandering with a simple acoustic version of "Hoover Dam." Footage of the house ablaze, set to music by Canty and French Toast, tips an artful cap to the affair, but it feels more additional than integral.