Record Review - 8mm

As I've said before one of the things I like about this blog is discovering new music. Bloggers have trouble with DMCA notices and it can be extremley frustrating but when somebody gets in touch with you and shares music with you because your blog is a good way for other people to come across their music then that's very rewarding.

A couple of Sunday's ago I featured 8mm's cover of Bad Moon Rising, which was pretty popular until a DMCA notice killed it. There's a new link to the file, so chances are if you're reading this you've heard the cover. If you haven't, here's the link again:

Bad Moon Rising by 8m (originally by Creedence Clearwater Revival). Even if you haven't heard the cover, chances are you've heard them on the various TV and movie soundtracks they've featured on in the last few years.

8mm have released an EP called Love And The Apocalypse, and that's what I'm reviewing.



Firstly, the cover of Bad Moon Rising was good, but it's not really that much like the music on the EP. As good as the cover is Love and The Apocalypse is better. A lot better.

8mm have been described as a mix of Tricky, Portishead and PJ Harvey but I don't think that describes this album. To me Tricky and Portishead produce music that's dense, it's the sound of inner-city England but 8mm, despite still being down-tempo, have much airier sound, much freer and almost carefree. It's the perfect music to listen to on a sunny day, the sort of music that brings happy memories to mind. It's pop music in the very best sense of the word.

That's not to say that it's in anyway disposable, throwaway music. The lyrics aren't carefree but they sit perfectly with the contrastingly mellow music. And the comparison of vocalist Juliette Beavan with PJ Harvey is a fair comparison. Mostly they remind me of Viva Voce when they were still a two-piece.

8mm are vocalist Juliette Beavan, her husband and multi-instrumentalist Sean Beavan (who's almost guaranteed to have mixed and/or produced something you own) and drummer Jon Nicholson.

This EP's full of songs that get stuck in your head and is well worth adding to your collection, I highly recommend it.

Here's a couple of videos of Deep Blue You from the EP:



The track listing is:

Los Angeles
Deep Blue You
Mean (my favourite track from the EP)
Never Go Back Again
Life Is Good
One For The Road.

Buy it here from iTunes.

Visit 8mm's website and myspace.



As a bonus here's the video for Stunning from their 2006 album Songs To Love And Die By: