Coachella #4 - The Cinematic Orchestra

The Cinematic Orchestra:
Genre: Electronic, Jazz

I recently stumbled upon an excellent music criticism essay by Charlie Bertsch that argues in favor of the first person point of view when writing about or critiquing music. Music is accessible in a way that separates itself from all other art forms because of its immediacy and ability for continuous repetition. The sounds at hand become an intimate and integral part of the reviewer's identity, thereby justifying a sense of one's persona and opinion to be illuminated through the "I".

Some of my favorite books and movies I've repeated only a handful of times, but there are without a doubt songs on my itunes that have been adoringly dragged through well over 100 plays. And it’s this reason that I embark on The Cinematic Orchestra because they are in fact one of the few groups that have crossed the 100 plays threshold. And above all, they are a group that I hold unbelievably close to my heart. Their music is precious to me and is one of the few things I sincerely adore. Whether consciously or unconsciously, I've kept The Cinematic Orchestra private: selectively shared and delicately tucked away to score my own trials and tribulations. So my apologies that this excerpt may run slightly personal, but when you genuinely fall in love with music and that music also serves as the soundtrack to your own falling, then I owe it to these musicians to assert some sort of self.

This music could easily be classified as stock tracks for late-night play lists, but the melodies have more depth than that label allows. It's a composition of gorgeous lines so powerful they create their own presence. The Cinematic Orchestra is a British based group that has been around since the late 90s and stellar albums include Every Day and Ma Fleur. When performing live, this layout also being their structure for studio sessions, the base melody is set with a turntable and pre-recorded electronic loops. The musicians will then join in improvising and on Every Day the vocally blessed Fontella Bass takes over the core, affecting even the coldest of listeners.


The Cinematic Orchestra - Into You
The Cinematic Orchestra - Familiar Ground