Neil Finn liked the idea of the home-sounding soundtrack.

Neil Finn liked the idea of the home-sounding soundtrack.

NEIL FINN talks about writing and recording the music for Rain.

You've had some songs in movies but never done a soundtrack before. Why this one?

Well, Christine I've known for quite a few years - she did a video clip for Tim and I for the song Angels Heap and we just got on well. Shortly after she was developing the idea for Rain and we had a few afternoons sitting around having a talk about it. She sent me all her drafts and at the time was saying "Would you be interested in doing some music?" and I read the book and I liked the book - I thought it was pretty atmospheric - and I liked her. I guess I just got involved with it over the years, and when the whole thing went ahead I was in.

It's not your traditional orchestral score, nor does the music tie itself to the movie's period.

Couldn't afford an orchestral score. But maybe in many ways it didn't seem like it needed it. It's an intimate, subtle - I don't know if subtle is the right word - it's not an epic tale but it's got an epic emotional part to it. But it's a small town, very familiar, 70s ... in fact, the girl in the story is exactly the same age as I would have been in the same year. I have an affinity with the period, if not the family involvement - my parents liked to drink but not to that extent. The concept of beach parties was very familiar to me and it struck a chord.

I was attracted to the idea of the soundtrack that was more down-home sounding and not period either. I don't think it needed to be a period piece.

It's music for a 16 mm movie ...

Yeah, I'm really fond of it - we've made it into an album and it's turned out really well. It's quite dark - the music we've been able to flesh out a little bit for the soundtrack album, which is quite nice, and to give it bit more of a mix and everything, but when I listen to it as a piece I am quite proud of it. I should also namecheck Edmund McWilliams, who had a significant input as well. It was a difficult time for me, in actual fact. It wasn't an easy process because my mother was very sick at the time.

But in a way the film has got quite a sad undercurrent. I could be melancholy and moody in the music without worrying about it. When I hand records in and they are melancholy and moody they go: "Jeez have you got any up ones?" It was quite nice not to have any up ones.

It must be an interesting discipline writing to pictures.

It was good to not have blank-page dilemma for a change. You've got something to start off with - you don't have that thought of, "What I am going to do today?" [It was] also a wonderful opportunity to see how potent music could be, to transform a scene which on the one hand could start off looking jolly to being very dark or vice versa. It was a great experience and I would love to do more. I think I could probably do it in half the time now. I'm still chasing that movie thing like Neil Young gets where he just sets up his guitar amps in a room and plays through the film four times and gives it to someone else to sort out.

So the album will be something to listen to at the bach perhaps?

Yeah, on a stormy day. Or even a calm day when there are weird things bubbling under the surface.