Album Review: The Cinematic Orchestra - To Believe

Speaking to us in the language of dreams, The Cinematic Orchestra present their first album in 12 years. In an era of fake news where people fly in the face of scientific fact to reduce climate change to a matter of belief, The Cinematic Orchestra have crafted an album that asks listeners to really consider what it is that they believe. They create a space where the ugly obscenity of modern life is neutralised by beautiful atmospherics, a space that provides room in which to reflect and draw power from voluptuous sound and inner thought.

Moses Sumney applies his delicate coo to the title track which in intimate tones suggests that we should believe in love. Roots Manuva’s flow comes wrapped in a soaring symphony of strings on A Caged Bird / Imitations Of Life. His lyricism edges toward the poetic as he proclaims that he found healing in the wings of mediation. Predictably all the usual ingredients – simmering jazz, restrained hip hop, glittering electronica and dramatic orchestral manoeuvres – are here, as compositional maturity and huge production ensure this album sparkles. The devastation and heartbreak of the epic A Promise, so eloquently conveyed in Heidi Vogel’s exquisite vocals, concludes this album on a bittersweet note.