Cinematic Orchestra Man With A Movie Camera (Ninja Tune) Rating: NNNN
Rating: NNNN
Initially, Man With A Movie Camera was intended to be a one-off live performance accompanying a screening of Dziga Vertov’s haunting silent film of the same name, and the title track appeared on the Orchestra’s recent Every Day disc. Expanding the idea into a full record, mainman Jason Swinscoe puts his obsessive knowledge of soundtracks to full use, creating an atmospheric, understated set of music that works even without the film. Not as overpowering or groove-based as the group’s proper studio records, Man With A Movie Camera is all about mood and shading, whether it’s created through lush strings and moody interludes or big-band reworkings of older tracks. The only misstep is the group’s limp cover of the Art Ensemble of Chicago’s Theme De Yoyo, which doesn’t touch the original.
