I kid you not but it’s not until track eight, “Go Down Together,” that I managed to discern an inventive spark not detected from the first seven songs, which tended to regurgitate the lowest common denominator of shoegazer cum space rock senselessly. For most of Film School’s sophomore effort, the reliance on guitar pedals to mask any outright melodic initiative is too painfully obvious; which is a slight disappointment, because I found Film School’s debut to be a tad more distinctive than the music on offer on Hideout. After all, if this is the kind of sound that the likes of Interpol, Stellastarr*, and Editors are currently parlaying in truckloads then how would Film School stand apart and be possessed with a message uniquely their own? So, it’s all about comfort zones here as a hazy sheen of guitar effects keeps the lid on Film School’s box of tricks firmly shut. Too much of Hideout has this nagging sense of “been there, done that”… not that its not well-constructed and authentic - it’s just that it’s a song that has been sung many times before… and better…
--Kevin Mathews
