|
|
Music CD - The Cinematic Orchestra: Ma Fleur
|
Music CD: Ma Fleur
Artist: The Cinematic Orchestra
List Price: $15.98
Our Price: $11.17
Your Save: $ 4.81 ( 30% )
Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
Manufacturer: Domino
|
Average Customer Rating:  
|
|
Tracks:
|
1. That Home
2. Familiar Ground
3. Ma Fleur
4. Music Box
5. Time & Space
6. Prelude
7. As The Stars Fall
8. Into You
9. Breathe
10. To Build A Home
|
|
|
Binding: Audio CD
EAN: 0801390015120
Label: Domino
Manufacturer: Domino
Number Of Discs: 1
Publisher: Domino
Release Date: 2007-06-05
Studio: Domino
|
|
|
|
|
|
Spotlight customer reviews:
|
Customer Rating:
Summary: Divinely Inspired
Comment: I was out shopping for music and was looking for something new when I ran across this album. The cover of the album caught my eye. I'd never heard of The Cinematic Orchestra (...or I should say, that I can't ever recall hearing of them.)but I decided to take a chance on this album based on... well nothing really. (...but the cover I guess. Which is rather strange, because something with a cover that serene would not usually make me take a second glance.) I felt drawn to "Ma Fleur". I felt that there was perhaps something special about this album and I was correct.
This album is inspired, almost as if it was channeled! You get the sense that "Ma Fleur" was out there, somewhere in the vastness of time and space, waiting for someone to come along and discover it! As a concept album, it feels complete. Every song seems to seamlessly flow into the next like water through a tranquil stream.
At no point does "Ma Fleur" ever demand your attention... well at least not in the typical sense. It never tries to dazzle you with it's arrangement or production aesthetics. "Ma Fleur" feels like it was made for the pure satisfaction of the musical creation, and not necessarily for the entertainment of an audience. (...or album sales for that matter.)
That being said, I found the album hypnotic and the music seductive. The music lulled me into a place of vulnerability and openess, which made it difficult to passively listen. I wanted to approach it with a present state of mind and really absorb it all. I didn't want to miss a single moment.
"Ma Fleur" never feels forced. Every moment of the album feels like it has a purpose and the use of silence contributes to this. The silence of "Ma Fleur" is it's strength! If this album were Michelangelo's "Statue of David", the silence would certainly be the marble from which it is made.
Although I am happy to have discovered "TCO", I am grateful that this album was my first experience because I have been allowed the opportunity to listen without prejudice. I am appreciative that I was able to come to this album without presumptions or expectations. Among my favorite albums I have often wished that I could explore them for the first time all over again... with time I'm sure that this album will be in that same category.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Beautiful theme album
Comment: As a fan of Cinematic Orchestra, having greatly enjoyed all their previous albums, this work may rightly be seen as their best effort. The lush musicality of their previous work is still here, but now the entire album invokes a certain state of mind. For me, it is about nostalgia and beauty; love and loss. Previous albums were focused on the quality of individual songs making up a cool set list. However, this album carries its theme so wondrously that you almost have to hear the whole thing to appreciate what they've created. Not that the individual songs have lost any of their quality though. So don't be afraid to pick this up if you want more Cinematic Orchestra, whether it's your introduction to them or otherwise.
Customer Rating: 
Summary: a transitional album
Comment: The newest album by The Cinematic Orchestra, Ma Fleur, while not perfect, is a remarkable work of art that has a sound all of its own. It is infused with elements of classical, jazz, and pop music alike, in works of fusion that come together on levels that their previous work had never quite been able to reach.
Their past albums have employed familiar quartet/quintet arrangements, all acoustic instruments, and were quite groove-oriented. The arrangements were in no way sparse texturally or rhythmically, with complex poly-metric parts all over the place that somehow fit together to form a lulling, on the outside quite simple sound.
The new album on the other hand, is rooted deeply in popular song and that genre's inherent qualities; specifically more focus on through-composing pieces rather than creating a form to solo over. This is a major transition: in their previous works it was mainly jazz that influenced the sound, although they were never playing standard "jazz"... Ma Fleur employs a sparse style of orchestration, where every note is very precise and exists for a reason and this fact is readily apparent (think Miles Davis on some level).
The timbral selection (still predominantly if not fully acoustic) is much more varied and yet also quite minimalist, a few segments merely piano and vocals. Speaking of vocals, they are used in a wholly new fashion! There are several featured vocalists singing beautiful lush lines, their every nuance reflected in the sound of the production. The Cinematic Orchestra had used vocals of various genres before but never in such a cohesive fashion. This time around the vocals really add quite a bit to the sound, and yet don't overimpose or demand attention for themselves; they don't seem like "extra material" added for sheer effect. They are used sparingly and are generally a contextual fit for the music.
There are only a few parts on a few tracks that resemble their original groove-based jazz sound, and the cues for that sound are timed so perfectly that they blend seamlessly with the open musical textures that surround the evolved older sound.
Ma Fleur is a concept album more so than any of their earlier works, and should be listened to in sequence, all the way through.There is a slew of interesting sound choices, moods, and environments on this album with an aptly chosen title.
Customer Rating:
Summary: well developed
Comment: After having heard all previous albums, I was surprised to hear the vocals - but they mesh so well with the Cinematic sound. Each song flows well from one to the next, and from the last to song back around to the first... if put on repeat...it's a fabulous concept album; a short story or perhaps a novel put to music. Listen to it forward and over again. If you like their previous outputs, and you can get into both the pop/ethereal and RnB/hip hop vocals you get here, you just may get into this.... a la Fila Brazillia's jump leads or Jazzanova's latest series of Secret Love compilations. And I love the photos included with the CD - must buy for fans.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Don't de fooled or disappointed
Comment: This album has been out a couple months now... I've been a Cinematic fan since Everyday and have picked up everything they're released with excitement and delight. Never have I been let down, nor do I expect to be. I didn't jump on this album the day of it's release because I had read mixed reviews and maybe that is why I got a pleasant surprise when I decided to put my trust in the musical genius of this fantastic group of musicians.
Ma Fleur is great. The problem is, very much like Air, their new albums have a more simplified sound whereas their earlier releases nearly exhausted the instruments they may have had at hand. Air's Pocket Symphony took this path and Cinematic's Ma Fleur did as well. The rich orchestrations and complex movements found in Everyday are traded for a simply beautiful arrangement of more simplified tones and movements. This CD in its entirity is not a let down, to me at least.
The first time I played it, I thought it was pretty good, but I was somewhat unaffected by it. The second time I played it, I couldn't have picked a favorite song if I tried.
The lesson being, Cinematic Orchestra has not failed to disappoint us at all. You just might find yourself looking for something that isn't there - and you don't slay an album just because of expectations...
|
|
|
Editorial Reviews:
|
Cinematic Orchestra's fourth studio album, Ma Fleur soars from start to finish. The disc opens with the all-too-brief "That Home" which showcases a new guest vocalist brought into the Orchestra clan, Montreal native Patrick Watson whose Coldplay-meets-Jeff-Buckley fragility fits inside the folds of the sparse melody perfectly; his contribution to the sweeping soundscape of closer "To Build a Home" proves equally spectacular, adding an increased vulnerability and richness to the music. "Time and Space," featuring enigmatic Lamb frontwoman Lou Rhodes, offers the perfect combination of vocal ache with the lushness of cello and violin, eventually expanding into a full contemporary-classical-meets-downtempo vibe. Former contributing vocalist Fontella Bass once again brings her timeless soul to the mix ("Breathe" and "Familiar Ground") which will delight longtime fans of the U.K. band. Fans of Cinematic Orchestra's more upbeat hip-hop and jazz numbers from previous releases will discover that there is nothing especially uptempo on this disc; in certain respects, the evenness of Zero 7 discs may provide a more apt comparison, contextually. While that may frustrate some, the power of Ma Fleur from beginning to end is a holistic package of sensuality and softness that makes for a nearly perfect, perfectly timeless release. --Denise Sheppard
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
