Unearthed: 30 Second Motion Picture “Can’t Kill Time”

Unearthed is devoted to out-of-print records that aren’t streaming or downloadable anywhere in an official capacity but some kind soul has still made sure that they can find their way onto your iPod Shuffle.

30 Second Motion Picture were a short-lived post-hardcore band from Ottowa formed in the wake of Shotmaker’s dissolution. Guitarist Tim McKeough and drummer/vocalist Matt Deline hooked up with bassist Matthew Camirand of that other notable mid-90s Canadian noise-rock outfit Okara and guitarist Caroline McKeough of the nowhere-to-be-found-on-the-web Monev.

Shotmaker’s breakup in 1996 wasn’t out of a desire to “do something different” or creative differences. They had just recorded their most ambitious work “Mouse Ear [Forget Me Not]” and spending 3 and ½ years of living for the band they decided to take a short break. Bassist/screamer Nick Pye moved to Toronto and when they got together to practice it just wasn’t the same so they called it.

That’s an important bit of background because this sounds a LOT like Shotmaker only diffused through the influence of new personalities. Caroline McKeough and Camirand both contributed vocals which certainly gave the project its own face but the biggest difference is that Shotmaker’s sense of frantic urgency is replaced by something more measured. Its not “90s indie rock” by any means but its much more controlled and its fair to label it as something like post-hardcore in the Dischord sense. The other notable difference is how the addition of a 2nd guitarist offsets the pummeling attack that Tim McKeough developed in Shotmaker. Despite the additional voice and instrumentation 30SMP is a much simpler affair than the bands that birthed it.

If I understand the timeline correctly, 30 Second Motion Picture formed in the fall of 1996, recorded these six songs in January ’97 and were done as a band by the spring. “Can’t Kill Time” is a document of a band just getting started—one that could have been great—and who had just enough experience under the belts to make something compelling together.

Stream it below or download a pretty quality rip of the vinyl at Sophie’s Floorboard (DL link still works as of 1/14/20)