Customer Reviews

Man With a Movie Camera

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

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!

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*

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.

This music is something in and of itself. The music flows over you like warm water in the shower. The beats are mesmerizing and the sounds are phenomenal. If you're taking the time to read these reviews BUY THE CD! It will not disappoint.

A brilliant idea--the smoothest, most nuanced quasi-electro jazz outfit scoring one of the most ahead-of-its-time films of all time. The music is predictably handsome and atmospheric, but I really look forward to seeing how it wraps itself around the film...fantastic listening nonetheless...

This is one of the most original and cutting edge musical scores you'll here for awhile . After reading the reviews here I ordered the cd and I can honestly say it could be the best musical purchase I've made for a long time.
This is a full speaker workout I had to turn the sub off completely the bass lines and live drumming are that forceful. You really need to listen to this on a very good system at high volume to fully appreciate the intensity of it.

Should be mandatory taken when auditioning new audiophile equipment.

The problem with concept albums is that, while the concept is sometimes interesting, the end result usually is not. That's not the case with Man With a Movie Camera, the Cinematic Orchestra's new soundtrack to the silent film by Dziga Vertov of the same name, but if there's a weakness to this album, it's one that plagues most soundtracks: that without the images to inform the music, the music alone feels aimless. And given that the Cinematic Orchestra is best with longer pieces of music, the tracks here sound truncated. That's a pity, because there are some gorgeous themes ("Dawn," "Reel Life" and "Drunken Tune") that feel undeveloped. There are some reprises from Everyday on here, including "The Awakening of a Woman" (a mellow version of "Burnout"), but my suggestion is: put on the movie and start this album simultaneously. It works wonders.

I was disappointed to hear several tracks from their previous album(s) on this one. I thought it was going to be all new. It isn't exactly.
The repeated tracks are reworked, I think, but they are still kind of the same songs.
B

After their rather dissapointing previous album ("Every day") Cinematic Orchestra are back, this time with an album that probably rates amongst the most original albums you'll hear all year or soundtracks for that matter since it's a film score.
Redoing the music for the remake of the 1920's silent film "Man with the camera" the Orchestra deliver a masterful album that's hard to categorise and yet is a perfect score.
Changing effortlessly from moody jazz to exciting avant garde funk and sounds or effects appropriate to a filmscore this album is a treat for the ears whether you've seen the film or not.
Now, a soundtrack that works outside the film frames is anyway not a common occurence but this here is emphatic in that respect.
Not a dull moment involved, the ideas and the moods keep coming at you like a storm and if you're a serious music lover you'll find yourself spinning this CD more than a few times.
This could very well be the Cinematic Orchestra's absolute masterpiece allthough with the talent these people obviously possess I'm sure we'll be in for a few more gems like this before they call it a day.
Up to now they've mostly exhibited their knack at the acid jazz field but after having heard this I think doing soundtracks is easily their alley.
Tremendous stuff.

I haven't heard this version and I'd love to, along with many others that have been written for this wonderful film. But I just wanted to correct the editorial review and say that a DVD it refers to comes with music by Alloy Orchestra who specialize in music for silent films. I have the DVD and I think that music is simply perfect for it.[...]