Search - Beatnik Filmstars :: Boss Disque

A thousand ideas in under 50 minutes

Dave Ehrlich | los angeles, CA | 10/20/1998

(5 out of 5 stars)

"why has no-one hardly ever heard of this band? even in their native england, they're practically unknown (or willfully ignored by the powers that be). like your pop fractured, splintered and distorted beyond recognition? look no further. the beatnik filmstars do more in the space of a three-minute "pop song" than most bands do over the course of an entire album...whiplashing tempo changes, blizzards of static, radio hum and white noise...and some of the sharpest, most psychotically catchy tunes around. they've been called a british guided by voices, but i see 'em as the fall's younger, hungrier brothers. each release has been even better than the last, and 'boss disque' is their strongest yet. of course, it's not all scree and skronk -- some of the album's most memorable moments come when the sonic terrorism subsides and the melodies shine (namely on'squeamish' and 'nature of things', two achingly beautiful ballads). yeah, it's "lo-fi", but no one crams this many ideas and thrilling risks into their songs anymore...this one hasn't been off the stereo for weeks now, and shows no signs of surrendering..."