Youthmovies (also known as
YMSS or
Youthmovie Soundtrack Strategies) are an English rock quintet, comprising of Andrew Mears (guitar and vocals), Al English (guitar), Graeme Murray (drums), Stephen "Ham" Hammond (bass) and Sam Scott (brass and keys).
Simon Jones, drummer from the post-rock influenced indie band Hope of the States originally played drums in Youthmovies as well as playing drums in Hope of the States. However, just prior to Hope of the States being signed to Sony BMG in 2004, Jones was replaced by current drummer Graeme Murray.
Their earlier sound included blasts of cathartic noise mingled with brooding soundscapes, spoken-word samples and a sharp canopy of feedback, drone and brass, though with their mini-album Hurrah! Another Year, Surely This One Will Be Better Than the Last; The Inexorable March of Progress Will Lead Us All to Happiness and the subsequent single "Ores" their sound suggested they were moving into a more ambitious and musically accomplished sound.
The band has toured extensively with Hope of the States, 65daysofstatic and ˇForward, Russia!. They have also played at the Truck Festival, Latitude Festival, All Tomorrow's Parties, Bestival, Latitude Festival, Cambridge Film Festival and the Reading and Leeds festivals.
The band have developed a reputation as a compelling live act, touring regularly as well as playing improvisations, collaborations and live film soundtracks in art galleries, theatres and forests.
Between April and June 2007 the band recorded a new album at the Seamus Wong studio in Leicester, to be released on Drowned in Sound Recordings in March 2008. Ant Theaker, former guitarist with Hope Of The States, produced the album, which was mixed at the Strongroom Studios in east London, and mastered by in Chicago by Bob Weston of Shellac. The album will be called 'Good Nature'.
Demos and live recordings suggest the sound will be much more melody driven and rhythmically complex than previous efforts.
Youthmovies side projects include: guitarist and singer Andrew Mears' solo spoken/experimental hiphop project Plosives, the Plosives debut album is due to be released in March 2008 through Crossword Records (Andrew Mears was also a founding member of Foals).
Guitarist Alan English co-runs a record label, Try Harder, which has released recordings by Foals, Blood Red Shoes, Adam Gnade, Blanket, Tired Irie and Jonquil amongst others. Jonquil and Youthmovies together form Vertical Montanas.
The band's most recent release is a collaboration with Adam Gnade entitled
Honey Slides. The
Honey Slides EP was released in the fall of 2007 on Youthmovies' guitarist Al English's label Try Harder.
Discography
Albums
- 'Good Nature' (Drowned in Sound Recordings, to be released in March 2008)
Mini-albums
- Let's Get Going... You're Fracturing Me With This Misery (Quickfix Recordings, 2003)
- Hurrah! Another Year, Surely This One Will Be Better Than the Last; The Inexorable March of Progress Will Lead Us All to Happiness (Fierce Panda, August 2004 / Re-released, 2005)
- Honey Slides (Try Harder Records, collaboration with Adam Gnade released September 2007)
Singles
- Ores (Fierce Panda) (April 2005)
CDRs
- Homeless Musics I (October 2005)
- Homeless Musics II (2006)
- Homeless Musics III (2006)
External links
Post-rock groupsMusic from Oxford