San Francisco dream-pop/nu-gazers Film School have entered new territory on their latest album, “Fission”; switching gears from the dark and gloomy approach that has served them well for for almost a decade, on their latest they are looking on the bright side of life by offering up cheery gaze-pop tunes that almost border on being danceable. It is a shift that has injected new life into a band that had been settled into a routine. Not that their past tunes are anything to sneeze at; Film School’s trademark guitar swirls, heartbeat bass, and killer male/female vocals are still some of the best in the biz. It is just nice to see that they have more tricks up there sleeve in terms of tone.

Film School will be bringing their brighter, happier selves to DC9 on Tuesday night for what I am sure will be a shoegazer highlight of 2010. Just because a band changes direction a bit, doesn’t mean that they’ve abandoned the things that made us love them. So I am expecting a well-balanced show of new tunes and Film School classics. As I type this I am listening to their albums “Hideout” and “Fission” on random and the two compliment each other in excellent and unexpected ways. Their bass playing strikes me even stronger when listening to songs from these albums back to back. Come out tomorrow night to hear how they compare for yourself.

PS – Opening band The Depreciation Guild are on the rise and this is a great chance to catch them before they hit it big.

Film School
w/ The Depreciation Guild
9/28/10
@ DC9
18+ / $10/adv $12/day of

Michael Darpino

Michael splits his free time between defending the little guy and championing the underdog. He has been haunting the concert halls, dive bars, and greasy spoons of DC for the last 16 years. His interests include live rock music, researching obscure military/political conflicts, and good hamburgers. He is a friendly grump, has wisdom beyond his years, and is on a life-long quest to attain music nirvana. Follow him on Twitter if you dare!