2019 - UK
Art Pop, Nu Jazz, Downtempo
Long Gone are the days of their early works. The tempestuous times of nu jazz has been replaced by a more melancholic sense of music drenched in art pop. The melancholic feeling is tied to their identity since the very beginning but the recipe to reach has changed. However, the Cinematic Orchestra always find the right way to evolve through time, always staying a relevant band. With To Believe, 20 years after their debut, they manage to still sound fresh and to bring really enjoyable and majestic concepts to the table.
It’s all in the first songs. If you want to be convinced by this album, To Believe featuring Moses Sumney and A Caged Bird with Roots Manuva are here to make you stay. The first one is a perfect encounter. The Cinematic Orchestra has worked with a lot of different voices during their career, and Moses Sumney probably is one of the most memorable. Lush but powerful, the intensity of his tone matches the simple guitar line and rises with delicacy during the climax. But the real gem is the second song with UK rapper Roots Manuva. The clapping, the rhythm, still a pinch of melancholy, and this might just be their most infectious song. Divided into two parts, it’s a brilliant example of the band’s range when it comes to exploring their many faces.
The rest of the album is a bit less impacting, even if Lessons is quite mesmerizing and The Workers of Art is a very interesting minimalist modern classical song, the other songs are not as diverse and original as the first two. But apart from that, To Believe still feels like a beautiful album to spin, with some of The Cinematic Orchestra’s finest melodies.
It’s all in the first songs. If you want to be convinced by this album, To Believe featuring Moses Sumney and A Caged Bird with Roots Manuva are here to make you stay. The first one is a perfect encounter. The Cinematic Orchestra has worked with a lot of different voices during their career, and Moses Sumney probably is one of the most memorable. Lush but powerful, the intensity of his tone matches the simple guitar line and rises with delicacy during the climax. But the real gem is the second song with UK rapper Roots Manuva. The clapping, the rhythm, still a pinch of melancholy, and this might just be their most infectious song. Divided into two parts, it’s a brilliant example of the band’s range when it comes to exploring their many faces.
The rest of the album is a bit less impacting, even if Lessons is quite mesmerizing and The Workers of Art is a very interesting minimalist modern classical song, the other songs are not as diverse and original as the first two. But apart from that, To Believe still feels like a beautiful album to spin, with some of The Cinematic Orchestra’s finest melodies.