San Francisco's Film School seems to have had more line-ups than some other bands have had hot dinners, as the saying goes. In the latest carnation, frontman/guitarist Greg Bertens' vocals are supplemented by those of the new bassist Lorelei Plotczyk and two female guest vocalists, adding a more ethereal element to their sound, which appears to be a bit more disciplined, on the whole. Their upcoming album, Hideout, will be released on Beggars Banquet tomorrow.
I've known several members of this band over the years, and I hope none of them will be offended when I say that this latest line-up rocks. I mean, the others did too, but this one... well, it won't make them the next Tila Tequila, but it could increase their following. The Hideout tunes pack layers upon layers of bristling, fuzzed-out, shimmery, shoegazey goodness, but nonetheless maintain a somewhat minimalist feel that says, "don't worry, I'm not going to get all up in your face about it." If you like driving/ethereal music as much as I do, give track two a download:
Or, if you have a Rhapsody account, you can stream the entire album here, including one song which I nominate for song title of the year: "Sick Hipster Nursed by Suicide Girl."
