Comprised of brothers Dave Taha (guitar / vocals) and Matt Taha (bass / backing vocals), and childhood friend Nick Riley (drums),Cleveland’s Filmstrip is a band that has grown together both literally and figuratively. Interpersonal intimacy coupled with years of incessant self-booked touring, is the recipe for an album that sounds at once both completely new, but at the same time comfortable and easy: like a favorite record that’s been on your shelf for years.
Though heavily rooted in DIY culture, Filmstrip is a band whose sound has evolved well past their simple punk rock origins. Imagine if the Meat Puppets (another brother band) circa 1985 teamed up with the indie-psych-folk stylings of Pink Mountaintops, and was informed by an upbringing heavily steeped in the Maximumrockn roll ethos. Do this and you can begin to approximate the beautifully fractured take on the American Songbook presented here on Moments of Matter.
Singer Dave Taha’s voice bathes Filmstrip’s sound in a world-weary / seen-many-a-recent-sunrise, aura that compliments the narratives of each song so perfectly. From the heart-broken delivery on “Wild Abandon,” to the sun-drenched, wonderfully off-kilter delivery of “MMS1970s,” the songs always let you know that the experiences were lived first person. At times, the mastery and interplay between slow and loud songs / dynamics can be reminiscent of Control-era Pedro the Lion.
Recorded at Asheville’s storied Echo Mountain Studio (Band of Horses, The War on Drugs, Polvo ) Filmstrip’s Moments of Matter is eleven songs worth of heartbreak, hope, good times, and comfort....your new favorite record.
Catch Filmstrip at The Comet on Saturday October 11th!
