Film School

Film School

Product Details

• Audio CD (January 24, 2006)
• Original Release Date: January 24, 2006
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Beggars UK - Ada
• ASIN: B000CQQHOU
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #101,838 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Track Listings

1. Intro

2. On & On

3. Harmed

4. Pitfalls

5. Breet

6. He's A Deep Deep Lake

7. Garrison

8. 11:11

9. Sick Of The Shame

10. Like You Know

Editorial Reviews

NME

"Wonderfully off-kilter pop songs"

Product Description

Film School is a band with impressively eclectic influences (Pink Floyd, The Who, obscure electronica, metal, drone, alternative '80s), a grandiose collective musical history, and a healthy bout of critical acclaim. "As their name implies, Film School creates sounds with a cinematic eye...This four-song EP is a compact 23-minute trip that proves this San Francisco quintet have serious dibs on becoming leaders if Haight-Ashbury is ever to rise again" - CMJ. Rave live reviews in the NME and The Fly followed their UK visit in September 2004, supporting TV On The Radio. The Sunday Times Culture Magazine hailed them as one of the new bands that "should be huge", and Music Week included them in their rundown of the "eleven buzz bands on the brink of greater things."

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The layman's non-obscure scene terms review..., March 2, 2006

By	Thomas B Goodloe "Berkeley Goodloe" (Richmond, VA United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I basically picked up this album because Amazon and itunes kept pushing it on me. After having listened to tons of indie lately, I can say this album is easy to listen to but not all that original. I think the best part of Film School is their guitar, which achieves this paradox of being light and nimble yet full of substance and edgy. It really proves that rock guitars can be progressive and intriguing without fancy tricks or painful distortion. The guitar work reminded me of early Cure or maybe even New Order. Also, the uncomplicated and somewhat sparse beat structure of this album helps produce music that is simple and easy on the ears, while maintaining a sense of purpose and direction.

I knocked off a star because some of the album drags and blends together. Also the vocals are the same disaffected sound I've heard in a thousand other bands. "Pitfalls" is probably the only standout single, but as a whole the album is a good listen. Again, the guitars are key with this one.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Best album of 2006 (so far), April 1, 2006

By	Paul Allaer (Cincinnati) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

Since the release of its debut album "A Brilliant Career" in 2001, the band has been through a number of personnel changes and a new label, and after a couple of stop-gap EPs, the band has finally released its second album.

"Film School" (10 tracks, 46 min.) kicks off appropriately with a 1 minute instrumental intro of wrangled guitars, to then slide into "On & On", one of the best tracks on the album, a very atmospheric wall of sound, reminiscent of Interpol-meets-My Bloody Valentine-meets-Lovedrug. The album can be divided in 2 sections: the first 8 tracks, and the remainder two. Indeed the album slowly but surely builds up towards a climax at the end of "11:11", bringing along the way a couple of shorter, almost radio-friendly tracks such as "Harmed" and "Breet", as well as some more majestic tracks such as "Pitfalls" and "He's a DeepDeep Lake". After "11:11" ends, the band must've realized that the album couldn't possibly continue in the same vein as before, and smartly the last 15 minutes of the album are very different, yet don't sound out of place. "Sick of the Shame" and "Like You Know" are accoustic-oriented dream-like songs (somewhat reminiscent of the Brian Jonestown Massacre sound) and the perfect way to close the album.

Film School (the band) brings sophisticated yet very accessible music, and is a delight to listen to. "Film School" (the album) is for me personally the best album of 2006 so far, and I would be surprised if this did not end up in my top 3 for the year. Highly recommended!

8 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Film School: Film School (Beggars), January 26, 2006

By	Young Music Reviewer "Chris" (Boston, MA) - See all my reviews

I appreciate bands like Ima Robot, Film School and electroclash artists for trying to add a little balance into Alternative music, or at least I appreciate Film School for trying to merge the beauty of Electronica with Alternative and allow it to simmer down to the always wonderous shoegazing while bringing back the trend of the New Wave you loved in the 80's. The thing about it is it is bands like these that are adding their own style into music making it worth your minutes and expanding your genres from just on band. Have you heard Depeche Mode's albums with a wind of Boards of Canada?

Call this the album that it would have made more sense for Maximo Park to create if you will but this album is America's response to all other international bands showing us off hard. (The band is from San Francisco, I believe) And their influence for this album is a mix of Electronica and 80's music (My Bloody Valentine. New Order? Depeche Mode?) all leading them to create an album that doesn't quite call the band in question an American Radiohead per se, but with half of the music smothered in swirling guitars, accompanying keyboards, and a leaders effort to push the band forward, a band that is trying to reach heights of originality.

Film School's debut (if you aren't counting their imported EP) kicks off with am intro wielding only swirls of guitar and electronics before finally bringing you into an illuminating "On and On" that may force your urge to name this band after Interpol and Elefant and a little bit of The Bravery in there, too, but will not let you throughout this entire album. Their current single "Pitfalls" may cause them to swing on the vine of similarity since everyone is trying to bring back New Wave these days, but worse can happen for a band like this. The backward keyboard melody should more than make you tell the difference. The second actual interlude "Garrison" is where Boards of Canada's wind starts blowing through the CD, before heading back into the record that will be likely to redefine the sound of "cool". If there is ever an album to chase after and count on for the safety of New Wave and the health of Alternative, I don't see a better candidate for leg-ups than Film School's latest.

Rating: 7.5/10