Defending Ruins: A Brief Review Of Field, The New Album From Film School (ex-Jawbox, Shudder To Think)

The L.A. band Film School place an emphasis on texture and riffs. There's lots here in their music, even in 2023, that might get them pegged as proto-shoegazers. And even more that would get them lumped in with those bands who got lumped in with that scene, only to expand their sound beyond the restrictions of any one genre label (Swervedriver, The Boo Radleys, Th' Faith Healers). The new Film School album, Field teases with the bits that feel familiar, only to let us hear this group make something nearly symphonic out of those styles.

The elegant "Is This a Hotel?" nods in the direction of "Higher Than the Sun"-era Primal Scream, even as the pulsing opener "Tape Rewind" seems to owe a debt to the previously-mentioned Swervedriver. The bright "Influencer" revs up and leads us down a highway in the sun, while the sublime "All I'll Ever Be" closes Field with an instrumental attack not unlike that of the Cocteau Twins or Lush, even as the vocals retain a warm immediacy that keeps this from flying too far into the atmosphere.

Film School are remarkably adept at this. There are whole moods conjured here, and the whole record has a widescreen-kinda vibe to it. It's big stuff, but not pretentious music. The players, notably Greg Bertens on guitar and vocals, and Noël Brydebell on vocals, let this material find its own space. Things unfold with a nice naturalness, and there's nothing here that's overthought. The drums from Adam Wade (Jawbox, Shudder to Think) give this enough heft as to tether the material to the here and now, even as the layers of guitars and keyboards allow the other musicians to soar into a rarefied space. This is special, and Field is an album to sink into. I'd urge you to let this be the soundtrack to your end of summer musings.

Field by Film School is out on Friday. Details below.

[Photo: Steve Simko]