Movietone
Day and Night

The Movietone were born in Bristol, in the middle of the Trip-Hop era, from an idea by Rachel Brook, previously part of Flying Saucer Attack, and Kate Wright, later in Crescent.

Released by Drag City in '97, "Day and Night" has little to do with the style of fellow citizens Massive Attack or Portishead, just as it has little to do with the noise of Flying Saucer.

In 39 minutes, jazz structures alternate with intimate episodes ("Blank Like Snow") of a folk that at times seems to come from the early seventies.

"Useless Landscape", with its barely hinted percussions, elegantly drags on into a dialogue between clarinet, background guitar noises, and acoustic hints.

In "Summer", it's the piano that takes center stage, which, accompanied by a slightly screechy velvetian violin, describes atmospheres that are anything but summery.

Placed in the post-rock category, Movietone are decidedly more akin to slowcore. In fact, the group's formula is based on fragile melodies and minimal arrangements, all recorded in a lo-fi key. To embellish it all, the whispered voice of Wright perfectly fits the album's aesthetic.

A very delicate tranquility unites the seven tracks, as if they were scattered memories of a distant era.