Sometimes, it is hard to imagine how bands can be so wrong. Take the Movies they really want to convince the world that they sound like the Cure, Beat Happening and Joy Division when they quite obviously dont. Just because you sing miserable songs with monotone vocals, it doesnt automatically let you join the ranks of some very good bands you need better songs to do that. That doesnt make In One Era Out The Other a terrible record, it just doesnt possess enough personality to elevate it above average. And while the band excel at coming up with unique ways to describe their music ("teenage contemporary and "soft punk), their finest moments seem to borrow heavily from other people. For example, "Secretariat might have a sing-along melody, but when you end up singing Pavements "Here along to it, thats a problem. As long as they focus on having the melody overcompensate for the singers shortcomings, the Movies appear to have some potential. But those other moments when the songs merge into each other and the true dirge-y quality of the album reveals itself, things arent quite so good. Maybe next time.
(Gern Blandsten)Movies
In One Era Out The Other
BY Michael EdwardsPublished Mar 1, 2004