Search - Cinematic Orchestra :: Man With a Movie Camera

CO's best effort yet

R. Henderson | Canada | 12/28/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I have bought and listened to CO's three major albums in order (Motion, Every Day, and then Man With A Movie Camera), and I must say, I think this one is the best. In the others, the drums were sampled from CO's live player then fiddled with. In this album, he's just been recorded live, and as far as I can tell, no editing involved. That helps give the tracks much more 'feel' then they had previously. He's an absolutely ace drummer. Also, the tracks don't seem as repetitive as before, and really go places, taking you along for the ride. An extremely valued addition to my collection! Thanks CO!"

The Way all 'Soundtrack' Derived albums should sound....

fetish_2000 | U.K. | 02/07/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"For the fourth of 'Cinematic Orchestra's' studio albums, (after 2002's sublime "Every Day" Album), is a commission for the soundtrack for a silent film of the same name ("The man with a Movie Camera"). sequenced and arranged, very differently from previous albums, because instead of the usual 7-8 tracks that most of their albums are made up of. This is expanded to a whooping 17 tracks, which are made up of full length tracks, short interludes and mid-length pieces, that more than likely, reflect the scenes of the film, that this album was recorded for. (I haven't seen the film)



The styles of music here, are a far more sombre and melancholic than previous albums, with the tempo generally being more thoughtful & considered, with various nods to 70's Jazz, with Sax, Violin and bass & trumpet producing something more akin to 'Miles Davis'' more subdued moments. The first 3 or so tracks are more introductory pieces, full of brushed drums, and muted sax, and it's not until track four's "The Awakening of a Woman (Burnout)", that the first true full-blown track begins to take shape. It's a minimal contemplative mood, subtle electronics fill the gaps where real instrumentation would normally be, and the effect is akin to listening to a dusty 1940's black & White thriller, reliant on the music to convey the context of the film.



There are touches of more upbeat arrangements, but nothing here that quite matches some of the more frenetic workouts on previous albums, bear in mind that it's composed soundtrack music, and that it truly impresses when listened to late and night with the lighting down low, and with minimal distractions. Although it must be mentioned that the drum programming throughtout this album is nothing short of amazing, in parts complex and expressive and largely prominent, and in other parts, organic and reflective enough to not dominate any tracks. The performance throughout are inspired, intimate tightly composed arrangements from composers / arrangers that seem to have an meticulous understanding of jazz, insofar as mood, complexity & arrangement and depth, which has proved invaluable in the creation of this album. The Cinematic Orchestra play to their strengths here, as the soundtrack is eclectic, and laid-back through the use of perfect sampling touching on various elements of Jazz, with Miles-esque grooves as well as: Film-noir, Instrumental jazz/funk fusion, Downbeat, orchestral soundtracks, ambient electronica and improvisational jazz.



Not all the listeners of Cinematic Orchestra's previous albums will get on with this album. Not because of a drop in quality, but more to do with the fact that this really is soundtrack music, so the work with vocalists on previous album is nowhere to be seen here. It's also arguable that there's a distinct drop in tempo, with some of the very short pieces being more 'Musical Sketches' than fully formed tracks. While the album is a seamless whole, it's a far less immediate album than anything they have done previously, and if the expectations are that there'll be the sharp, energetic tracks such as "All Things to All Men", will be disappointed with the relaxed pace here, which is a shame, as the arrangements here rival anything on their previous work (just at a far more subtle pace). It's also worth noting that several tracks from their previous album "Every Day", make a return here, but in instrumental form, minus the vocals, or slightly modified ("Burnout", "Evolution", "Man with the movie Camera", "All things to all men"), and

hearing them without the vocals, exemplifies how beautifully arranged and composed the music truly is, lush orchestration and moody cinematic, ambitious tracks, make for some sublime listening.



If your new to the music of "Cinematic Orchestra", this is a remarkable album of which there is no doubt (check out how many 5 Star ratings it has below this review), but...and it has to be said, that to start with, you'd (at first) be better served, with starting your enquires, into their music via the first two albums "Motion" & "Everyday", as there are arguably the more immediate albums, be it the use of vocalists or the more upbeat arrangements. I found that having thoroughly enjoyed the previous albums, made entering into this album of rainy-day arrangements, melodically textured interludes, and instrumental classical/Jazz tracks, far easier to digest. Of course if you are into classically arranged 'Soundtrack' music, then I suggest, that this will be your preferred album. Anyways regardless, whether you work your way up to this album via the previous albums, or your an existing fan, this carries on the Cinematic Orchestra's run of consistently superb albums.



*P.s. Don't forget to pick up their 'Remix' album as well*"

Complex mix of different genres of music

omakasekt | China | 06/03/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I first came across Cinematic Orchestra in a web discussion group, many cited it as a record of the year. Subsequently I purchased the CD, knowing fully that buying without trying usually leads to disappointment. My expectations were actually exceeded. Moody, complex, rich, the music projects a tinge of darkness at times but without any discomfort. On the contrary, most of the tracks are very enjoyable. Many artists try to mix different genres of music, but few deal with the complexity as coherently as CO in this CD in my humble opinion."