Disco Volante

Cinerama | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (January 6, 2004)
• Original Release Date: October 3, 2000
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: MANIFESTO RECORDS
• ASIN: B00004YR2V
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #273,237 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. 146 Degrees

2. Lollobrigida

3. Your Charms

4. Heels

5. Unzip

6. Aprés Ski

7. Superman

8. Because I'm Beautiful

9. Let's Pretend

10. Wow [Extended Version]

11. Your Time Starts Here

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Former Wedding Present front man David Gedge has definitively left his former band behind with his new outfit, Cinerama. The guitar-driven lower-case pop of the Wedding Present has been upgraded to Pop with a capital P. Lush, adventurous, and beautifully melodic, Cinerama's second release (following 1998's Va Va Voom) is a veritable feast for the senses. From the opening track's spaghetti Western styled guitar, it's obvious that the band name is no fluke, and the songs on Disco Volante not only draw their sonic inspiration from such classic soundtrack composers as John Barry and Ennio Morricone, but play like mini-films or perhaps short stories put to film. This goes as far as the band's naming one song "Superman" and another "Lollobrigida" (the last name of a premier Italian cinema sex goddess). But, thankfully, "Disco Volante" is completely free of kitsch and irony, and it achieves a kind of timeless glamour that is positively romantic. Stretching beyond the usual pop-rock instrumentation to include accordion, vibes, xylophone, horns, and blankets of swoony strings on most of the tracks, "Disco Volante" manages to sound big but not bombastic, familiar but completely fresh. The key that holds it all together is Gedge's lovely tenor voice and unerring sense of melody, all infused with sort of upbeat good cheer that is a perfect antidote to the legions of nihilistic whiners who have come to dominate popular music in the last few years. Admirably aided by coproducer Steve Albini, the clear-eyed Pop of Cinerama is joy incarnate and sexy to boot. --Carl Hanni

Product Description

Disco Volante by Cinerama

This product is manufactured on demand using CD-R recordable media. Amazon.com's standard return policy will apply.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars I liked the first album better, but still...WOW!, October 5, 2000

By 

A Customer - See all my reviews

This review is from: Disco Volante (Audio CD)

There are a few songs that just don't click completely, but the others are the same catchy, melodic gems found on the first album. Yes, there are strings and movie soundtrack flourishes, but it still rocks and represents a comeback from the unevenness of the last few Wedding Present releases. I heard once that David Gedge prefers to write about falling in love or breaking up as those moments tend to be the most intense. I agree, and he's still creating whimsical and slightly bizarre circumstances with characters you can readily identify with. Standouts include the first track and "Because I'm Beautiful" which I can't get out of my head. If you liked the first Cinerama album or past Wedding Present releases, I would not hesitate to buy this album.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars It's really not as bad as some people are saying..., January 18, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Disco Volante (Audio CD)

I'm really surprised to see some of the negative reviews here and thought I'd add my two-cents worth. At least half the songs here are really well-constructed tunes with sparkling instrumentation and swoony melodies. If the album as a whole gets a tad repetitive, at least it's stuck in a good groove. "145 Degrees" and "Your Charms" are particularly irresistible. People need to get used to the idea that Cinerama is _not_ the Wedding Present.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Gedge goes not quietly...., October 6, 2000

By 

S. Gozdecki "spongebobsmartypants" (Chicago) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Disco Volante (Audio CD)

Though some longtime Wedding Present fans were disappointed in the mellow, pristine production employed on Cinerama's debut album, this time around David Gedge's new band combines grit and glamour. Maybe it was the untraditional recording process, which saw the full band recording with Steve Albini before heading back to England to overdub keyboards, strings, horns and even a bit of drum machine; maybe it was the fact that this time 'round Cinerama is more of a band (five members) than on the first. In any case, this record is a winner: the hooks aren't immediate, but after a few listens this album really grabs at you and refuses to let go. I think the track "Your Charms" exemplifies the positive effect of the two-tiered recording process: underneath, it's a gritty rocker with distorted guitars, but on top of that sit a variety of little sounds that dance around in the headphones. Other standouts include "Wow," "146 Degrees" and "Superman."

It's a shame this probably won't sell very much in the States; David Gedge continues to produce high-quality, decidedly untrendy, definitively ear-friendly pop music.