The
Cinematic Orchestra: Ma
Fleur (Domino)
It’s always dangerous when an artist starts to take his music too
seriously. The Cinematic Orchestra (aka Jason Swinscoe) reportedly took
five years to make his fourth full-length, Ma Fleur, and as a
listener you would never know because as good and interesting as the album
is, there really isn’t any new ground broken here. Each track flows
with the beauty of a picturesque placid river at dusk, with Swinscoe infusing
jazz structures over ambient Eno-esque electronics. The only real difference
from Swinscoe’s previous work are guest vocalists like Fontella
Bass and Lamb’s Lou Rhodes scattered here and there. However the
vocals are more frustratingly annoying than compelling, as most don’t
mesh with the intricacies of the music. Supposedly Ma Fleur was
recorded as the soundtrack to either a hypothetical film or a film that
was never made. By its nature a soundtrack is meant to bring depth and
life to moving pictures. It’s a symbiotic relationship. What’s
the point of Ma Fleur? There isn’t one. Self-indulgent?
Absolutely.
By Marcus Kagler
7/2007