Each week over at the Tripwire offices, we receive a ton of records for consideration. Let’s face it; a lot of them are crap. So it is awesome when you pop a CD in to check out, that you have no expectations on, and find out that it is great. Just that scenario happened to me when I got the new debut record from San Francisco’s Film School. On first listen of the album you can totally tell that this is one of those bands that needs to be seen live to fully experience and appreciate. They sound full, lush and big; all the while also sounding like something that would be the perfect backdrop to a quiet night at home. “Intro”, the first track blends seamlessly into “On & On”, which is a full throttle psychedelic noise-pop explosion with hypnotic lyrics. Two other dreamy songs, “He’s A Deep Deep Lake” and “Sick Of The Shame” sound like they were scrapped off the cutting room floor from a long-forgotten My Bloody Valentine session. “Garrison” is an interesting tune because it is just a hair over two minutes and the whole thing is backwards. Finally there is “Breet”, where jangley guitars are mixed with fuzzed out ones and the vocals are reminiscent of Robert Smith. Arguably the best tracks on the album are the ones that clock in over five minutes. These songs are the seeds that had a chance to grow and blossom into beautiful flowers, just like the ones depicted on the album artwork. One thing is for sure though. Just pick up this stellar debut on January 24, as it is chock full of monster jams.
