Noise Pop asks today's most innovative musicians to share the music that is on their stereos, mp3 players, and walkmans. Hear for yourself what these cutting-edge artists are listening to and find out how it affects the music they are making.
Film School
In 1998, Krayg Burton formed a guitar and drum two-piece and dubbed it Film School. Though the original group disbanded after a single 7", Burton kept the project running, recruiting a cast of revolving musicians on the stage and in the studio and released the debut Film School full-length, Brilliant Career, in 2001.
Film School has since grown from a solo project to a full-fledged band with the collaboration of Burton on vocals/guitar, Nyles Lannon (n.ln, Azusa Plane) on guitars/vocals, Ben Montesano (Pinq) on drums, Justin Labo (Technicolor, Current) on bass and Jason Ruck on keys/samples.
Each band member picked a couple of his current faves for this month's mix tape.
• Let's Go Sailing - All I Want
"I saw this band play in L.A. a few months ago when Courtney Love jumped up on stage, grabbed a loose guitar and tried to play and sing along to a song she didn't know, live. good times. I love the mood of this song."
• Mazarin - Chasing the Girl
"My friend Nyles introduced me to this band months ago. I wish I wrote this
song."
• Sufjan Stevens - Oh God, Where Are You Now? (In Pickeral Lake? Pigeon? Marquette? Mackinaw?)
"Being from Michigan, I was taken with the album Greetings From Michigan from the first listen. While this particular track carries on a bit long, that last section where the swell of horns collide into this melodic drone is perfect."
• Rhythm and Sound - Queen In My Empire
"German electro-dub purveyors Rhythm & Sound mingle with a handful of excellent Jamaican vocalists to craft an innovative mix of electric dub that can best be described as 'smokey'."
• Chavez - Wakeman's Air
"This song makes you want to rock out."
• Lilys - Day of the Monkey
"This is just a great song. More people should put a fake tambourine up
front in the mix."
• Manitoba - Twins
"Somehow this guy manages to make electronic music that is actually kind of sloppy or something. Great drums, great melodies, really refreshing."
• Outrageous Cherry - The Unseen Devourers
"The best band from Detroit nobody has heard of. Awesome psychedelic fuzz pop in the vein of Pyschocandy-era Jesus And Mary Chain."
• Orbital - Chime Crime
"This is one of those classic techno tracks that made the genre so exciting in the late '80s and early '90s. I wish it was still this good."
• Film School - Activated
(from the EP alwaysnever)
• Film School - Like You Know
(from the upcoming album, still to be titled)
Notice: Some songs may contain explicit language.
About the Band
Film School have made an EP that gets the whole hooray-for-simplicity thing
just right. Their second release, alwaysnever (Amazing Grease), finds Krayg Burton and his revolving cast of the area who's who meting out a perfect mix of ethereal ambience, raging guitar drug drone, and relatively unself-conscious and delicate vocals. There's a bent for experimentation not
just because, but because it fits the moment. The too brief three-song ride
comes off as a completely natural and confident slab of yesteryear paradise
that harks back to the day when people stood while staring at their shoes. -SF Bay Gaurdian June '03
highlights
noisepop mix tape
aquarius records' sound mind
about KQED
