CD Review: Midnight Movies By John Miller

Stereolab? Nico? Broadcast? Siouxsie and the Banshees? Every review to date seems to mention one or all of the bands in conjunction with Midnight Movies. The question is, are they truly an original band or just another eel in the electro-clash sea. Coming from L.A. and being produced by the same producer that does Stereolab does not do much for their case. Not to mention that upon first listen, the first thought that came into my head was a psycho ex-girlfriend who obsessively listened to Stereolab. Over and over again she would listen. Chanting along epileptically, convulsing to the music.

One time in the dark shadow of the trees in an eerie moonlit night, her convulsions stopped and the music got louder. Penetrating past my ears and into my brain. I saw my girlfriend’s eyes turn a mercury color. Her fingernails grew out seven inches long and glistened with the look of daggers. She lunged forward towards me and chanted in a droning voice, “On and on!" I was cornered and had no where to go. Accept my fate I must. I stretched out my neck, shut my eyes and prepared for the entry of the blades that were once her fingernails.

Uhhh…wait, is it coming? The song finished. I opened my eyes and I was in my apartment. No creepy ex-girlfriend to be seen anywhere. Just me and my stereo playing "Human Mind Trap" by Midnight Movies. Not Stereolab. The next song "Oh Twilight" comes on and I realize the haunting tunes were giving me dreamlike hallucinations as if I were in a horror movie. This next song had more groovy sounding keys to it, however, and gave me the feel of being in an old sci-fi flick.

As the CD continues on I travel through space in a teleport unit on the "…highway of lost desire”. Like a psychedelic video from the 70’s where the actor is standing there pretending to be amazed by all the cheesy changing scenery, I look for flashing flower pattern spotlights, smoke machines, and slow moving disco balls but to no avail, I think, again, it is all mental. Layers, more layers, off key tunes, distortion, erratic beats, and tension with very childish light hearted sounds to create the feeling of being the one flying over the cuckoos nest, this is Midnight Movies. Larry Schemel on guitar, Jason Hammonds on keys/guitar and Miss Gena Olivier on vocals and drums. Yes, I said drums. How her voice does not sound like she is trying to sing while jumping on a trampoline I don’t know, but she does it.

Yes, upon first listen, I imagined Stereolab. As I listened again, however, and released myself from instant superficial judgments, I found myself seeing the product of a society based upon latchkey kids, being raised on box office films and after school special of all types, and the twisted psychological interpretation of this upbringing rearing its head twenty years down the road through music. It is even more appropriate that the band hails from L.A., home of the box office. Listen once, then again, and maybe even one more time, then you will be hooked.