A couple of days ago, this writer was about to review "Jamestown" as the new single from Long Island's THE MOVIELIFE, thinking it was the taster for their new album "Forty Hour Train Back To Penn" and to the soundtrack for their soon-come moshpit madness with rising UK emo-core stars Funeral For A Friend as the two bands slugged it out on a lengthy trip around the UK.
Since then, though, the news that The Movielife have split up has filtered through, which - like it or not - changes one's approach to this single. And, frankly, this is an odd record to act as an epitaph.
Thing is, in the cold light of day were The Movielife any cop? Well, yeah, they could play well enough and there's urgency galore, but like so many young bands brought up on (whether they like it or not) the MTV generation, The Movielife just sounded too generic to really convince and indeed "Jamestown" sounds like a band of wannabe At The Drive Ins with a Joy Division fixation, while singer Vinnie Caruana howls like he thinks he's Guy from Fugazi. Oh well. Maybe they realised they should go back to the drawing board.
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To be fair, "Jamestown" is OK, but not a lot more. Besides, if the lyrics are anything to go by (sample: "Late night snowfall, get us to the hospital, Jamestown 94, and a forty hour tain back to Penn...weathered, broken, endure") then it's no surprise that they're calling a halt. They make life on the road sound like the most grotesquely gruelling thing imaginable, which of course it may have been for them.
Anyway, it looks as though there'll be the forthcoming album and precious little more from The Movielife. It's a pity,sure, but judging by this, we won't really miss their presence that much. Sorry, but truth will out.
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