Poetic Memory: Parlour Steps (List)

Parlour Steps are a self-described electro-pop/motown band hailing from Vancouver. The group’s engaging sound would fit nicely between The Decemberists and The New Pornographers in your record collection.

In 2009, Parlour Steps released a catchy gem of an album, The Hidden Names!, and have been touring in support of it ever since. In a rare offstage moment, front man Caleb Stull recently compiled a list of his favorite music-related movies for us. His Poetic Memory is below.

The Blues Brothers (1980) – Not only did it breed one-liners like a string factory (“We’re on a mission from God,” “This mall’s got everything!”), sport Princess Leia with an assault rifle, and feature some of the best R&B artists of the era, it also had the most entertaining car chase in film history.

Amadeus (1984) – Sure it was proven to be more fantasy than fact, but the music is exquisite, the costumes divine, and the performances stellar. Plus, like the story of Van Gogh, it gave under-appreciated artists everywhere hope for post-mortem canonization.

High Fidelity (2000) – An exceptional examination of modern relationships at their ambiguous best, it was also an affectionate look at super fans and music nerds in whom we all see a bit of ourselves.

O Brother, Where Art Thou? (2000) – While suffering from a decidedly throwaway premise, much hammy overacting, and a scant number of laughs, this film helped revive an exhilarating era of music that so deserved it.

8 Mile (2002) – Clawing your success out of the ground with your bare hands. Yeah.

Nashville (1975) – A mumbling ensemble piece from auteur Robert Altman explores a single weekend through the eyes of some unforgettable country music characters. Altman was at the height of his dialog-over-dialog style of making one feel like they were watching real people.

Once (2006) – Excellent folksy songs, very verité performances, and a genre-bending ending where (SPOILER) they don’t actually hook up. Awesome.

The Harder They Come (1972) – A terrible movie with one of the best soundtracks ever compiled.

Bound for Glory (1976) – This’ll make you wanna jump trains and sing songs that inspire people to stand up for themselves. Or not.

This Is Spinal Tap (1984) – Still gut-bustingly funny, it would essentially write the script for musical mockumentaries for years to come. You cannot live in this musical world and not hear references to this movie. “Yeah, but this one goes to eleven…”

Pink Floyd’s The Wall (1982) – Drug-addled and paranoiac, this grim rock star nightmare still stands up. Plus, Pink Floyd’s grand and dramatic songs are still saving teenagers from shitty music to this day.

Hard Core Logo (1996) – Bruce MacDonald’s masterpiece of Canadian Rock fucked-upness, this film shows a slice of unglamorous Canadian band life not normally explored, namely touring this huge, mostly desolate country. Plus it has an LSD scene that’s super funny. “I killed a goat!”

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