FILMSTAR put style over substance.

March 1, 2010 | by Jenn Kelly | Album Reviews

Filmstar’s official website misrepresents the contrived persona of the band as equivalent to that of their musical talent. On paper the band looks hip and charming, oozing charisma from their strategically posed photographs and slick self descriptions, boasting of their “cheerfully aggressive gang vocals.” The truth however is not as pretty or perfectly placed as their website would lead you to believe. The photographs prove that the lead female vocalist, Elise Wei, is a knockout and the band members come off as relatively hip; but bluntly put, Filmstar’s actual sound is more like the background music one hears when riding an elevator than a leading act.

small-filmstar I tried to give this band a chance, but their music is a montage of bland repetition. The first track starts of quirky and has a lot of promise, but Wei drops the ball with her lackluster energy, and the sound quality as a whole isn’t up to par. The music isn’t awful; it’s just bland. The musicians aren’t dreadful; they just don’t go the distance. The band touts their sound as “unforgettable,” but I had a hard time distinguishing any real differences in the tracks and I didn’t feel like the band really meant it. The band metaphorically compares themselves to a “love-child of Blondie and a B-17 Bomber;” their self reviews are so far off the mark, and as much as I desire a band like the one they describe to conquer the scene, Filmstar is not that band.

Honestly, this is not the worst band I have ever listened to; in fact they are not all bad. They look fabulous; advertise themselves well, but their music falls short. It is their lukewarm factor that makes it hard to listen to their music; which is disappointing because they seem like if they pushed themselves a little bit harder they could be really dynamic. I get that they are going for 80’s inspired indie rock, and I enjoy the concept, I just wish that they could pull it off. Their bio says that their “live performance is full of energy and not to be missed” and I hope that this is the case, because I listened to the album a good number of times trying to delve into the music and I couldn’t find this “energy.” Perhaps a live show will change my mind and prompt another review, but at this point I am not convinced. Filmstar might fare better if they tried their hand on the silver screen instead of on Philadelphia’s music scene.

filmstartheband.com

About Jenn Kelly

Jenn Kelly is an aspiring poet aspirating on a small time town, surviving on the music scene. She is currently in a passionate love affair with vintage Chuck Taylors and classic rock.

Guest
mattbrigidi

Jenn, I felt your review was accurate and well written. Keep up the good work!

p.s. Joe you are a great under cover reporter
Zachary Yuen

I listened to their current songs on their myspace page. I really really like the music. I do believe this band can sell records on a national level to a certain audience. The vocals don't cut it for me. Just my viewpoint, but I was reminded of the The Go-Go's during some of their songs when it was just the lead singer, and that is fine. However, not my thing though.
onwardedward

Yet another person that can't even commit to an opinion. Z: You, really, really, like Filmstar's music & believe they can sell records (on a national level), but, the vocals don't cut it for you, and, it's not your thing? Thanks for joining the conversation.
onwardedward

I see that no one is terribly anxious to reply to my last post.
I don't blame them either. Zach Y., I'm wondering what your thoughts are. I'm glad you listened to the "current" songs. I'm glad you didn't end up listening to previous songs, or any future song postings, so, I'm glad you were specific. And, that was good of you to point out that Filmstar's National Audience would be limited to a "certain audience". They probably couldn't make it among the ignorant masses.
Zachary Yuen

I just now noticed the comments... bottom line, I like the music, don't like the vocals. End of story.
onwardedward

Thank you Joseph! I was never hiding my identity, (that couldn't have been that difficult to figure out). I easily could have masked my identity, had I wanted.

I've had my share of bad reviews ( Alternative Press, Pitch Weekly) , and can surely handle it, when they come from a reputable source. But, this was simply an "assassination piece".
onwardedward

onwardedward is a legitimate online handle. There's nothing "false" about it. I'll tell you what is hilarious, and going nowhere, this page. Written by fools, dumb asses!
Joseph_Rose

So, you don't agree with the review of the Quintero record?
onwardedward

Did I say anything about Quintero? I don't think so, and I'm not about to pontificate. That's your hobby Joe.
Joseph_Rose

You said the site was "Written by fools, dumb asses". So it's safe to assume you don't agree with what the same writer says about other bands. Or is it only dumb when they don't like YOUR band?
onwardedward

I don't even need to read the other bands reviews to ascertain the poor level of writing going on here. Free Energy is a great local band, Rolling Stone, and Spin, gave their new record stellar reviews. I guess you guys didn't feel the need to review that record though. Keep it up, your doing a great job!
Joseph_Rose

Don't you mean "you're" doing a great job? Oohhh snap! How's that for some stellar writing!
onwardedward

Damn, you got me there. Well played.
Joseph_Rose

Uhh, I replied to your last post, Ed. But it's really weird that you're still talking about your own band as if you aren't in it.
Joseph_Rose

Let's get real here. "onwardedward" is Eddie Scagnetti. He happens to be the bass player for the band in question; Filmstar.

Ed, no offense dude, but if you can't handle a "bad" review without anonymously crying about it on the website, you need to find a new hobby. And if you feel the need to argue about someones opinion, have some backbone and don't hide your identity. Sheesh.
ffemtsista

I do have to agree with this review. Although I have heard many different kinds of music, I do not see this band going beyond where they are now. The sounds of this band is common to our ears. A band that sounds pop but the vocals are more unique. After listening to the song Run, there is nothing that would make this band stand out. Very good profile, but the vocals need a different sound.
onwardedward

It's funny that the 2 critics of this band are both so vague, and incoherent. I don't even know what some of these statements are supposed to mean? The second sentence contradicts the third. Like the article, this is just more verbal diarrhea. I'm sure there are intelligent people out there that will consider the source before taking these criticisms seriously.
onwardedward

I can't for the life of me understand why you would take the time to write such a horrible review, on a band that you clearly can't appreciate. If the intention of this blog is to support local artists, then why not focus on artists that you find deserving of support, rather than as a vehicle for bashing artists you dislike? OK, that's point 1.

Secondly; If you are going to try to be a critic of something shouldn't you be capable of criticizing with some detail, and with some level of intelligence? There's no mention of; songwriting, composition, arrangement, lyrics, production, guitar tone, drum/cymbal sound, etc. There's isn't a constructive criticism anywhere in this review, just a lot of vague rambling. Essentially, all you've done here is rip apart the bio, and take a bunch of mean spirited, cheap shots. Talk about a lack of substance. Maybe it's you Miss Kelly, that should consider trying your hand at something else (perhaps a job in the footwear industry, seeing as that is your first love?), because you are certainly no Lester Bangs.

PS: If you know any elevators that play Indie/Pop like Filmstar, could you let me know? I'd like to live in that building.
Philly Rock Blog

That's what it's all about! Glad we could expose another band to a new audience.
zkopp

Just checked out the tunes and couldn't disagree more. In fact, I just bought the album, but to each his/her own.
Joseph_Rose

Zach, you seem to be not telling the whole truth pal. It seems odd that you "just checked out the tunes" when you've been uploading videos of this band for months now: http://twitter.com/arcluna

Wanna change your story?
zkopp

Not really, I never really listened to the recordings before, nor did I own them. I've seen the band several times live, and I've seen the previous band incarnations with similar songs before. I just bought the recordings, discovered they come with lovely pictures, and didn't say anything that wasn't the truth. Good try though.

If you must know, Here's a little clip from the invoice (with minor editing on the transaction ID since I'm paranoid)

Mar. 1, 2010 16:52:47 PST
Transaction ID: 8Y855902BK4218---
Bandcamp download; http://music.filmstartheband.com/album/2009-dig... mp3 320k