Three Minute Movie / Litters - Split 7"

Fine Tuning (2018)

I'm always happy to see a split 7" released in Japan.  So much of the music I loved was discovered on split 7"s that were put out by Snuffy Smile in the mid 90s.  The format will always have a special place in my heart.

Three Minute Movie are the reason I bought this 7".  I love these guy, but I am still missing two of their full length CDs from my collection.  I really need to fix that.  Both songs on this split are the sort of uptempo rockers that have been their calling card on the other recent 7"s.  They are a band that has evolved a lot over the years.  You could certainly say that their earlier albums leaned towards the emo end of pop punk, but everything I've heard from Three Minute Movie lately have been super catchy rockers.  I seem to like whatever style of punk rock they want to play.

Litters are a band I'm not familiar with and that's always been my favorite thing about split 7"s.  You never know what you are going to get on the other side of the record.  Yes, I bought this because of Three Minute Movie, but the two Litters songs are just great.  Big and catchy with crunchy rock and roll riffage, but pop-punky enough that everything the band does is in service to the hook.  According to Discogs, Litters have two other 7"s.  I think I'm going to have to track those down.

Three Minute Movie - Faraway 7”

Fine Tuning (2013)

This the second of three 7”s by Three Minute Movie that I’ve accumulated over the past couple of years.  I hadn't gotten to this one yet as I've developed a real backlog of records to write about.  In some ways it's a good thing as I haven’t really had the ability to buy too many new records this year.  My record buying budget keeps going to Japan.

I’ve been listening to Three Minute Movie for twenty years now and even though I haven’t kept as current with their more recent releases as I would like, I’m doing my best to go back and fill the gaps. This three song 7” is something of a companion record to the End Of Summer 7” I wrote about a few weeks ago.  As much as I loved that 7", this one is even stronger,

Opening track “Faraway” is an upbeat and crunchy guitar blast that hits me perfectly.  In some ways it's a perfect encapsulation of what I’m looking for in punk rock.  Yet somehow when we flip over to the B side and hit “Beat Kids On The Street” Three Minute Movie have upped their game even more. This is an incredible song and my favorite I’ve heard from the band since their first split 7” with Braid.  The 7” closes out with “My Beer Strikes Marshall.”  This one has a bit more of a noisy, garage-y feel to it, but still has a wonderfully hooky chorus.  Three Minute movie have another essential 7”on their hands.  I love it.

Three Minute Movie - "Faraway" (This is a live version, not the 7" version):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MWipV1aqq7E

Three Minute Movie - End of the Summer 7”

Fine Tuning (2013)

Three Minute Movie is a band that I’ve been listening to for such a long time.  I vividly remember getting their split 7” with Braid and the 3” tour CD comp they had out on Snuffy Smile at the same time.  I was so completely blown away by how great those songs were.  Over the years, Three Minute Movie put out quite a few albums and singles.  They even broke the Snuffy Smiles 2 album curse when they went ahead and released a third full length album on that label.  This is the stuff of legend for someone like me.  I’m still waiting for the third Urchin album...

This 7” is one of two that I picked up while record shopping in Tokyo.  I wasn’t aware that Three Minute Movie had anything out at the time and was excited to find them.  In fact, these were sort of precursors to another full length album that I haven’t picked up yet.  It looks like I am somehow missing two entire Three Minute Movie albums in my collection.  I always feel like I’m playing catch up with Japanese punk rock.  It’s difficult to stay on top of everything that comes out.

All three songs on this 7” are classic Three Minute Movie.  They reinforce why I’ve been listening to them for so long.  My favorite of the bunch is “All Starts On Wednesday Night.”  It’s a short fast paced rocker with a bouncy verse and singalong chorus with killer backing vocals.  The other two songs are equally catchy and fun.  I really love this band and I need to figure out how to get the other records they’ve put out that I’m missed.  I sure wish it could be as easy as just going to a local record store.  Sadly, I’m record shopping in New Jersey, not Tokyo.