Opener

On their debut, a six-song independently released EP, Los Angelino duo 8mm manage to create music that is at once familiar, yet remains strikingly original on its own merits. Their "sound" is a pleasant mix of ambient electronica and contemporary pop-rock--Morcheeba or Portishead as fronted by Heather Nova or Juliana Hatfield--the kind of stuff increasingly heard in arty coffee shops and on sexy teen TV dramas like One Tree Hill and The O.C. But, fueled by the post-industrial pedigree of Sean Beavan (former sound engineer and co-producer for Nine Inch Nails and mixer for Marilyn Manson) and the ethereal, haunting voice of his muse/wife, Juliette, 8mm eschews simply rehashing the material of others in favor of putting their own unique stamp on it. The production is refreshingly subtle; there's a ghostly simplicity to tracks like the lilting "Save Yourself" and the dreamy "Never Enough," while heavier-hitting entries (the rap-infused "Nothing Left to Lose," for instance) remain free of much of the overdone gadgetry too often heard today. Though one wonders what heights the duo might reach should they ever choose to rock out in the manner that Sean's former musical associates are known for, the band's first effort succeeds in being a memorable entry into the genre, and an exciting promise of projects yet to come.