Every Day

 

 

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Like the linear notes say "I've been waiting for this album for a long time"; after listening to it I'm still waiting. It's obvious that all involved in the project are amazing muscians... the songs themselves I find really boring however. The music is repetitious, but not in a way that it works. If you wanna hear repetition working listen to The Necks, or Spiritualized; with this album however, it doesn't work. The songs seem four to eight times longer than they need to be and nothing interesting is gained from this extra fat; the grooves are okay but not interesting or fascinating enough to bear the repetition. Case in point: the best track on the ablum, Evolution, forces us to sit through a ploding guitar intro which repeats over and over in completely predictible four bar cycles until finally we're treated to the real groove of the song, which drops back into this guitar thing again just when it gets going... and I don't see anything gained from this, the guitar intro doesn't build any interest or tension which then gives more meaning to the groove when it finally hits, it just bores, makes me fast foward to the groove. And at the end of the song just it just end? Nope, back to the guitar thing which predictably repeats over and over again for a while until fading out. Unfortunatley the whole album seems to suffer from this same problem: predictable and unimaginative song structures that squeeze all meaning and interest from the individual performers. Another track introduces a boring horn loop, which just as before repeats in four bar cycles before finally adding a real sax, which then repeats in a totally predictable chord progression, four times, before another instrument is added, so on and so forth... Another song intro starts with a kalimba thing, again repeating in four bar cycles totally predictably until... you get the picture. Guys, this is boring and totally pedestrian song writing and even though, as many other reviewers dote on, the musicianship is great, it's not great enough to stand up to these song STRUCTURES. Yeah some of the songs are in crazy odd meters... but so what? That's great, playing a drum pattern in 7/8 really fast is hard but... without an interesting context for it it's meaningless to me. Seems like they could be an incredible band if they either shortened everything down into tight, dense 4 minute songs, or they seriously work with the minimalist repetitious vibe. The lack of comitment to one or the other just leaves it sounding like a watered down verison of neither to me, and not something "new"; that is if they are gonna repeat things like this it should have a reason, whereas now it comes off as just lazy song writing. The production is pedestrian, again sqeezing out some texture that could add interest to songs. Even the vocals seem, well, arbitray and ill-concieved; we listen to Fontella Bass say the word "evolution" a bunch of times but it all seems so meaningless despite her "soulful" performance. Again, listen to Stereolab if you want to hear repitious vocals actually working. Not that Cinematic Orchestra should sound like any of the bands I mention, just that the strategies they're choosing don't work for me. Thing is, I guess I could say that these guys are probably great live... and that I should probably listen harder and longer to the album, but... this album really bores the hell outta me and once again shows that great muscianship really only has meaning in the context of great songwriting.

Prior to my acquisition of this album, I had no idea as to who this group was. I was just starting to branch out with my musical tastes from 90's alternative rock, and the only jazz I knew of was Pat Metheny.
I was standing in a record store killing time before my bus came to take me home, and the "Man with the Movie Camera" track was playing. I was frozen in the aisle; I must have looked like a fool, but I could have cared less. I was engrossed in the music. After it was over I immediately found the only remaining copy in the store (after asking the clerk as to who they were), and I ended up missing my bus.
It was a fantastic introduction to a group that plays such an interesting style, and can pull you through a range of emotions. I now have all the albums they have produced, and I am looking to more artists on the Ninja Tunes label.
It is hard to find news on this group, but I cannot wait for their next release.
I would not call what they play "jazz", as I am loathe to pigeon-hole music into genres. It seems to me that after "pop", "hip-hop", "country", and any other Top-40 genre, jazz is what is left over. This does not give credit to the artists that can create such cool and innovative music.
Recommendation: Buy this album, pour a drink, turn it up and relax.

I already owned and loved "Motion" when I went to the "International Jazz Festival" in Montreal and saw that "Cinematic Orchestra" was performing, along with the "Gotan Project", at the "Metropolis". I was not as familiar with "Gotan Project" but I knew I really enjoyed "Cinematic Orchestra" from listening to "Motion" so I went. All of a sudden all the planets lined up and time stood still! I was completly blown away by both groups but especially "Cinematic Orchestra". The music, the setting, the apreciative and energetic vibe in the room -it was a seminal event for me.
I have attended many concerts in the years I have been going to this excellent festival and I often buy the CD of an artist whose show I really enjoyed. More often than not what I enjoyed in the live show has not translated well to CD -even after invoking my 5 listen rule (something I recommend to anyone before discarding a CD they think they don't enjoy). "Everyday" (I also bought and love "Man With A Movie Camera" by this group) is, however, every bit as fantastic on CD as the live show. As is mentioned often in other reviews here, these are very accomplished musicians who are performing there craft a very high level. The drummer in particular is excellent. I had zero-ed in on this while listening to "Motion" and at the show I noticed that they featured the drummer, Luke Flowers, by putting the drumset front center on the stage. A clear indication that they share my sentiment that he is something special
Each of the 7 songs on ""Every Day" is a finely crafted piece of art that takes elements of R&B, D&B and Hip-Hop in varing degrees on each cut and blends them into a base of smoky hot nu-bop jazz. Other reviewers here have done a good job of documenting the highlights of the individual tracks so I won't. Overall, the best live show I've seen in....maybe ever! and certainly the best CD of the year -for jazz and/or any of the electronica sub-genres.

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5.0 out of 5 stars Electronica & Orchestral Arrangement meet in Unison....
After the orchestra styles of previous album "Motion", the Cinematic Orchestra move the goal post slightly to incorporate Jazz & vocals on most of their tracks to with a... Read more

Published on Oct 30 2003 by fetish_2000

5.0 out of 5 stars Awesome just about sums it up..
"A grand sound" - thats the way that I would describe the music on this CD. I bought Every Day after listening to just two track snippets, and I am not disappointed. Read more

Published on Aug 29 2003 by H. A Huffman

4.0 out of 5 stars Jazzy, introspective "mood" music
I first heard Cinematic Orchestra on KCRW's "Morning Becomes Eclectic" program in L.A. I was intrigued enough to buy "Every Day. Read more

Published on Jun 30 2003 by J. Kasperson

4.0 out of 5 stars Great chill out record, but not much more......
Ninja tune records have a strong reputation of being high quality music, that is also the case when it comes down to the production, but musically some of it are are a bit dull in... Read more

Published on April 20 2003 by Daniel

5.0 out of 5 stars This Gets Better With Each Listen!
I have been listening to this recording for several spins now. It is not quite as dark as Motion but equally intense and in some ways more satisfying! Read more

Published on Mar 14 2003 by Carl Johnson

5.0 out of 5 stars TRANSCENDENTAL
this is very beautiful music, and quite unusual despite being consistently grounded in several conventional styles. Read more

Published on Jan 30 2003 by Alabaster Jones

5.0 out of 5 stars A fresh take on jazz
I finally found a record that made me stop complaining about the current state of jazz. London's Cinematic Orchestra has made a record that will satisfy both the jazz purist and... Read more

Published on Jan 14 2003 by Arthur

5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic!
Brilliant textures, wonderful solos, a strong album!

Published on Nov 13 2002

3.0 out of 5 stars The first song was great
The first song on this CD is awesome, but I lost interest from there. Some of the songs at the end get really tedious. I sold the CD after listening to it once or twice. Read more

Published on Nov 2 2002 by Artie Choke

5.0 out of 5 stars Outstanding!!!
This is some of the best musicianship I've ever heard! J. Swinscoe and Phil France, the main guys, worked very well together to bring out this top notch album. Read more

Published on Oct 15 2002 by qbert357

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