Sunday, May 10, 2009

Movie – White Whales




On their myspace page, Movie lists Joy Division and My Bloody Valentine as their influences, but it’s really Joy Division filtered through Galaxie 500 that I hear. The precision of the drum is there, but so is the reverb and the slowness, the extra space. They layer the extra space in droney vocals, separating the words just enough from the churning guitars. The deadpan vocals are delivered just slightly, charmingly, off-key, in a spoken word manner. In other words, they list the appropriate influences, but then, as Galaxie 500 did, they make the record their own shimmering pop song.

The whole album centers on nautical themes, and the second song, “Island” is a dreamy stand out. The singer “steps slowly off the land” and is “driven by the wind.” There is feedback, charming feedback, that will possibly call to mind the hazy waves of My Bloody Valentine, but Movie is so much more peaceful, so much more in touch with others, even though the lyrics sum up a drift between the singer and other people. Overall, this is a band to keep an eye one.

http://www.myspace.com/movieband