Customer Reviews

Disco Volante

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

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.

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.

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.

Stop reviewing the song and album titles. Who cares? Apparently Mr. Bungle doesn't. So, if Mr. Bungle doesn't, are you going to ask David Gedge to compromise his vision for the sake of the consumer. And am I going to mistake Cinerama's Superman for the Flaming Lips', no. Is anybody? No, not ever. Not in a million years. So buy the record if you are a big fan of the Wedding Present and Cinerama. Its not as produced as Va Va Voom, but there aren't many records out there that are. Thats all for today, class.

for my little retro fantasy...slightly rougher than va va voom...which is a good thing...va va voom is gorgeous but too perfect...disco volante is sloppy lipstick...david gedge is a lyrical dreamboat..."you're unconventional, it's not intentional and that's the greatest thing about you..." key tracks? because i'm beautiful, let's pretend, wow...

With this second outing David and Sally continue with their "always been a John Barry element to our music" excursions. Cards on the table time here - I am one of those indie-kids who had The Wedding Present as the soundtrack to teenage heartbreak. Now I'm (supposedly) all grown up shouldn't I like this cd more than I do? A lot of it is too mannered and polite for my taste - while Gedge can still write well about seduction and heartbreak - there aren't enough poignant tunes to back it up.

The Delgados and B&S offer more on the melodies front, as does Cinerama's own debut "Va Va Voom". I don't want to appear too down on the record, but naming a song "Superman" in the wake of The Flaming Lips' superior effort is a bad move.

That's all, and there's nothing left I can say. Awesome!

Disco Volante has great, catchy alt-pop tunes, fabulous tongue-in-cheek (his own cheek or hers?) lyrics, and enough "umph" to sustain the entire album--a rare feat these days.

Admittedly I was not a Wedding Present fan--was not even familiar with their work before getting hooked on Cinerama--but perhaps that's a positive, as I haven't sentimentalized old Wedding Present tunes (which, frankly, sound a lot the same to me)

If you're coming from a Wedoes fan-club point of view, I can see how Disco Volante, and Cinerama in general, is something of a let-down. It's comparably tame, and has an entirely different sound. But if you're not familiar with Gedge's work, Cinerama's Disco Volante make strike you as a refreshing and intelligent take on alt-pop.

I love thier first Va Va Voom, and this album continues with the same style. This album (like all thier albums)could possibly be considered a little repetitive, but I can put it on repeat and listen to it over and over without getting bored of it.
Highly recommended!

Not thrilled with Cinerama's first full-length, I patiently waited for the follow-up, reserving judgement until Gedge settled into his new project. Having digested Disco Volante, I feel that I can safely declare myself wholeheartedly let down by the new direction the former Wedding Present leader has taken.

When I think of the mess TWP gradually got into with their final three releases, it reminds me of the mess Belle and Sebastian had quickly gotten into with the release of "Arab Strap." In both cases a brilliant frontman, adept at tying interesting influences together to form a fresh sounding group, writes a bunch of brilliant and moving songs. Over time the band the frontman has assembled, feeling empowered by a strong cult following I guess, mistakes their frontman's talent for their own, and begins to have a larger hand in the songwriting. The songwriting then, inevitably, weakens. Who knows what B&S's Stuart will do, but Gedge has taken his stab at freedom and abandoned all of the qualities that once made his writing and performance great. Barry-Whitean production (shame on you for playing along, Albini!), lush orchestration that serves no more purpose than to create a feeling of cold plasticity and generic kitsch, trite lyrics, smoove vocals and half-baked composition all serve to make me doubt whether the man behind these songs bears any stronger resemblence to the Weddoe's leader than Eminem. Will the real David Gedge please stand up???!!!???

The kicker is, The Wedding Present had the kind of fluttery, shimmery urgency, that could make you feel like your heart had stopped. Gedge's jackhammer guitar style, far from ham-handed rock'n'roll pounding, created a unique atmosphere that encapsulated the adrenaline kick of love, lust and loss. All of that is gone, and what is left is the sort of wry distance best carried out by Pulp, Momus, Black Box Recorder or Go-Kart Mozart. Those artists have an incredible talent for taking the sound of emotional distance, artificiality and emptiness, and turning it into art. That takes unbelievable wit and cleverness. What Gedge used to do, however, takes heart. That's something one can't fake or learn. I just hope it's something one can regain.