Those who are going to Coachella this year, listen up: before you grab your flower crowns and face paint, make sure you check out the documentary Beautiful Noise. It’s obvious this film was made by a guy who loves music, especially the early underground music scene. Director Eric Green‘s knowledge of the “shoegaze” genre, the lovely sound of blended and layered guitars mixed with unique vocals, is an inspiring audible journey for music fans, but if you’re looking for any sort of storyline, you won’t find one here.
The film is devoid of any narrative; rather, it is divided into chapter-like segments with each band getting almost a solid ten minutes of the spotlight intermixed with interviews from other legendary musicians. This trance-like sound first hit the scene with the English band the Cocteau Twins, whose shimmering guitar melodies coupled with singer Elizabeth Fraser’s unique voice was dubbed the next big thing in rock & roll.
Billy Corgan of The Smashing Pumpkins, The Cure’s Robert Smith and Wayne Coyne of The Flaming Lips all give insightful interviews about their first impressions of these bands, and there’s no denying that the musical inspiration here is endless
The Jesus and Mary Chain, bushy haired boys back in 1984, are also profiled. Decked out in grungy plaid button-ups, leather jackets, and Ray-Bans, their hit Just Like Honey plays as the members are interviewed in present day, as they reminisce about the band’s early days of figuring out just how they were going to fit- or rather, intentionally not fit- into society’s idea of “rock music.”
After an hour of highlighting different bands, from My Bloody Valentine to modern acts like M83 and Wild Nothing, the film focuses solely on interviews, which are a bit underwhelming after listening to practically an hour of straight music. This sub-genre has been described as ethereally beautiful and harmonic with a hard time fitting into a specific genre and based without definition. The same can be said about this documentary. While its focus on the bands are intense, Beautiful Noise ultimately lacks any sort of story and plays like an extended old school 90s MTV program.
Billy Corgan of The Smashing Pumpkins, The Cure’s Robert Smith and Wayne Coyne of The Flaming Lips all give insightful interviews about their first impressions of these bands, and there’s no denying that the musical inspiration here is endless. The effortless, romantic sounds leave the viewer immersed in a synth-like dream, which is welcomed 100%. The music is so impactful, that even Robert Smith admits to playing the Cocteau Twins record alone as he was getting dressed on his wedding day.
Just like the music itself, Beautiful Noise is clearly a DIY passion project. While not the sharpest looking documentary, Green gets his message across with intimate interviews. The artwork for the film is amateur looking, which unfortunately may throw some people off upon first glance at the poster- but past its seemingly naive disposition, Beautiful Noise is a rough and tumble film that truly deserves to be seen.
