I wasn’t personally around for Vancouver’s 1990s shoegaze scene and had no idea who Movieland was until the album was sent to me, but after spinning the first three tracks, I immediately felt the sonic appeal. Grunge was obviously booming back in the Vancouver ’90s scene, with Seattle right next door, but a band like Movieland was hitting the same decibels in a more washed-out, jangly way. Think The Stone Roses with a hint of Slowdive and The Verve. I even hear a bit of The Brian Jonestown Massacre’s debut, Methodrone, though Movieland predates that release.
There’s quite a bit of unknown Canadian arts history surrounding Movieland. Founder/ guitarist-vocalist, Alan D. Boyd, briefly moved to Montreal to play bass in garage rock legends the Gruesomes before settling in Vancouver in 1991. He then met up with drummer Justin Leigh and bassist John Ounpuu (who eventually left Movieland to form the art pop rock band Pluto). Before that, Movieland recorded one four-song cassette called Then & Now at the now-defunct Downtown Studios in Vancouver. Soon after, Boyd moved into a little, but big derelict artist commune dubbed The Mansion. It was all sex, psychedelic drugs, and rock n’ roll while Movieland hosted heavy and loud rehearsal parties. If it wasn’t for The Mansion’s impressive soundproofing no one knew unless you were in the know. The expertly layered song “I Relate,” was tracked on a borrowed Tascam around one of these parties.
Movieland gained a little dedicated following, but the group never attained the proper exposure to continue and Boyd dissolved the band back in 1994. Such is the life of bands, but thanks to 604 Decades—a newly launched archival series within the venerated Canadian 604 Group—Then & Now is a compilation of all of Movieland’s material. It sounds very early ’90s, right down to the drum hits feeling far away and the 12-string guitar jangles being hugged by a pillow of tasty bass riffs. Boyd’s vocals recall all of the shoegaze greats, but really remind me of Spiritualized’s Jason Pierce, especially during the 7-and-a-half minute “(A Sort of) Icarus.” Who knows, perhaps this release will raise Movieland’s cult-like aesthetic onto a more modern crowd?
