Movietone
Fragile, coastal slowcore that feels like a private conversation overheard through a thin wall. Hushed vocals meeting jazz-inflected piano and the sound of the tide.
Fragile, coastal slowcore that feels like a private conversation overheard through a thin wall. Hushed vocals meeting jazz-inflected piano and the sound of the tide.
Movietone sounds like the quietest corner of a coastal town in winter. Their music is built on a foundation of silence, using sparse instrumentation like brushed drums, muted clarinets, and delicate acoustic guitars to create a sense of profound intimacy. It is less a performance and more an environment, often incorporating the literal sounds of the world around them, from the creak of a floorboard to the distant roar of the Atlantic Ocean.
What makes them truly distinctive is their relationship with space and geography. While their Bristol peers were exploring aggressive trip-hop or loud shoegaze, Movietone retreated into a hushed, semi-improvised jazz-folk hybrid. Kate Wright’s vocals are barely more than a breath, yet they carry an immense emotional weight, as if she is sharing secrets she isn't quite sure she should be telling.
To understand their world, start with 'The Sand and the Stars'. Much of it was recorded outdoors on a bay near Land's End, and you can hear the wind and waves interacting with the instruments. It is the definitive document of their ability to turn a physical landscape into a psychological one.
Movietone is an English post-rock band. They formed in Bristol, England in 1994. Core members are Kate Wright and Rachel Brook, with Wright being the main songwriter. Kate Wright is also in the band 1000 dawns and is currently the bass player for Crescent. Rachel Brook was a member of Flying Saucer Attack during the first few years of the band's existence. Matt Jones (Crescent) has been the drummer since the start and recorded and mixed many of the songs. Other musicians have included: Matt Elliott (The Third Eye Foundation), Ros Walford, Florence Lovegrove, Sam Jones (Balky Mule, Crescent), Chris Cole (Many Fingers), Tom Cops (My Two Toms), Michal William (Headfall), Lisa Brook (Headfall), George McKenzie (Headfall, Motes, Vase), John Coe and Clare Ring. Movietone recorded three John Peel Sessions at Maida Vale Studios on 12/05/1994, 28/01/1996 and 31/08/1997. 2003's The Sand and The Stars was partly recorded live on a bay near Land's End. Kate Wright features on Appendix Out's 'Daylight Saving' (Drag City, 1999) and (with Matt Jones) on Headfall's 'Stars Don't Shine to Noise' (Spazoom/Little Waves, 2003) and My Two Tom's 'Who We Were And What We Meant By It' (Stitch-Stitch, 2010). Before Movietone, Matt Elliott, Kate Wright and Rachel Brook formed the band Lynda's Strange Vacation. Rachel Brook did a 7-inch record under the name 'From Red Down', (Acetone, 1999). Movietone is featured on the soundtrack to the film Hallam Foe.
Shares slowcore, indie rock, dream pop (subgenres); breathy, whispered, gentle (vocal style)
Shares slowcore, indie rock, dream pop (subgenres); breathy, whispered, gentle (vocal style)
Shares slowcore, post-rock, indie rock (subgenres); breathy, whispered, gentle (vocal style)
Shares slowcore, chamber folk, dream pop (subgenres); breathy, whispered, gentle (vocal style)
Shares slowcore, post-rock, indie rock (subgenres); breathy, whispered, gentle (vocal style)
Shares slowcore, post-rock, indie rock (subgenres); breathy, whispered, gentle (vocal style)
Shares breathy, whispered, gentle (vocal style); melancholic, wistful, contemplative (moods)
Shares slowcore, indie rock, post-rock (subgenres); breathy, whispered, gentle (vocal style)
Shares slowcore, post-rock, indie rock (subgenres); melancholic, wistful, contemplative (moods)
Shares slowcore, post-rock, indie rock (subgenres); melancholic, wistful, contemplative (moods)
Shares clarinet, slowcore, field recordings, post-rock (instrumentation)
Shares slowcore, whispered, post-rock, dream pop (signature)
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