Its a history education with Film School
San Francisco act 'Film School' show a fine knowledge of left-field UK guitar music with their self-titled album. With its Anglo influence outweighing their American counterparts, the sense of history and bygone genres is stamped all over the record.
Single 'On & On' has a Nirvana of Nevermind era feel to it. The guitars are muted and low whilst the vocals have a world-weary edge to them. With a feedback hum rattling through the background, there is a strange ethereal side to this track which can glide by the listener. The song rallies at the end with a sprightly guitar lead, bringing the song out of its gloom and segueing nicely into 'Harmed', which featured a poppy intro and buzzed along with a cheery melody.
As the songs continue, there is a noticeable Cure and Robert Smith element to the vocals. There is a melancholic grip around the pop songs as the lyrics laze around and push through. Another notable similarity occurs with Campag Velocet, there is a laziness to the vocals and melodies with the singer being almost too tired to push more into it. Its not a criticism as it works well with the songs and effects, its possibly too similar over the course of the album but it's a distinctive sound.
The production skills on the album are interesting. Theres a lot of music sitting low in the mix, creating a fuzzy sound throughout the record but it allows a space for an instrument or vocal to come to the fore and take centre stage. Over repeated listens more of the backing instruments start to grab attention and there a good few layers to most of the songs.
The record picks ups pace the longer it goes on with '11:11' featuring some classic guitar squalor and drum crashing in its extended outro. Just like the vocals hark back to a previous era in the Cure, there is almost a touch of My Bloody Valentine or bands from the shoegazing era with the sound featuring a lot of solo notes and verging towards dance rhythms.
With 'Like You Know' breezing by with the sound of West Coast Americana, there are a lot of influences showing on this album but for all that, it comes together well. There is a continual flow to Film School, and given its nods and winks to many UK rock icons, there could be a place for this album in many collections. It may lack a few more direct choruses or changes in tempo but as a continuous album, there are a lot of surprises and pleasure contained within.