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CD Review |
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| Beatnik Filmstars - The Purple Fez 72
Club Social |
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http://www.beatnikfilmstars.co.uk/ |
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By Paul Towler |
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I've spoken before on this website about Bristol's music scene
historically having a charmingly introverted nature. It's meant that
over the years, sometimes to Bristol's detriment, rival cities have
stolen the limelight and been better noted for their musical exports
than our own. One only has to look at the countless documentaries of
Manchester's music history (as good as it was) to know that it's a
history lesson we've heard time and time again. Bristol, by
contrast, despite having enjoyed it's own rich musical history, has
often held it's best kept secrets to itself. On the positive side
though, it's this pensive mindset that has kept our home grown
talent brewing healthily at it's own pace rather than being governed
by the speed and expectations of the giddy music press. It's given
Bristol's musical heritage a sense of genuine substance rather than
the fickle minded shortsightedness of London's fashion driven
micro-scenes.
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| One such Bristol band who have defiantly nurtured
their craft at their own pace are stalwarts of lo-fi indie Beatnik
Filmstars. The band have been around in one form or another since
1990. I remember attending their first ever gig, an intimate
unveiling at the cavern-esque cellar bar 'La Cav' in St. Nicholas
Market. Their dynamic loud-quiet-loud formula of sonic drone was a
brave move at a time when most of the city was still in love with
fey jangle pop. Since then, the band went on to become regular
session guests for John Peel as well as going on to tour America and
Europe. |
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Reformed a couple of years back and now 19 years on from their
original inception, if most long running bands are anything to go
by, you could be forgiven for expecting Beatnik Filmstars to just
safely rest on their laurels, regurgitate a 'greatest hits' set,
vainly reminiscing of better days. Well, you'd be mistaken to judge
Beatnik Filmstars by other bands. Today, with a renewed line-up that
now includes fellow C86 veteran Tim Rippington, Beatnik Filmstars
are producing some of their best music ever, and it's music that
Bristol can be proud of.
These days, particularly in Britain's stagnant indie mainstream,
treating music as a steady career option seems to have become more
important than pushing innovation. You can rest assured that
Coldplay's inevitable tenth album will sound pretty much the same as
all their others. Bristol's Beatnik Filmstars, by contrast, refuse
to safely tread water with well-thumbed formulas. Instead, their
latest album 'The Purple Fez 72 Club Social' challenges expectations
by exploring a whole new direction, boldly veering away from their
quirky lo-fi pop roots and travelling headlong towards mature
Americana territory.
Clean tremolo twangs, simple and contagious melodies together with
reflective, sharp witted lyrics make for a refreshing journey into
alt-country, delivered from a British pop perspective. Check out
'Rats' with it's cool, slow-paced whistled refrain. It's just so
catchy. Likewise, 'You Never Hear A Good Song Coming From A Car
Window' brims with pop sensibility whilst 'Sweet Bird Of Sorrow'
boasts a sitar style bed of mellow psychedelia punctuated by
backwards guitar loops. When you consider that the band record their
work without the use of conventional studios or Pro-Tools trickery,
the results are astounding.
The band's founder member Andrew Jarrett is currently one of
Bristol's most productive record makers. Having previously fronted
80's era surf-pop favourites The Groove Farm, Andrew currently
flexes his alter-ego with his other band (The) Nervous Rex, a studio
project revisiting the sound of garage and mod.
Beatnik Filmstars remain one of Bristol's brightest jewels. Their
current album 'The Purple Fez 72 Club Social' is available now,
released by Satisfaction Records. Whether the likes of London,
Liverpool, Manchester and Britain's other more noted musical hotbeds
are listening to what's happening here in the south-west is up to
them, but I sincerely hope they are. They don't know what they're
missing. |
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