I’ve always found the Cinematic Orchestra too pretentious, too austere, a band whose ambitions outran their abilities. With this fourth album, 12 years after their last, that austerity is over. To ...

The Cinematic Orchestra were formed by Jason Swinscoe in 1999 and have become one of the most respected British acts of the last 17 years. Possessed of an emotional gravitas that transcends genre, ...

A perfect piece of instrumental music can totally transform my mood so much more than a pop song. In the case of a track like The Cinematic Orchestra‘s “Manhatta”, it whisks me away to a lovely, far ...

Today it's possible to listen to a CD and not have a clue what you're listening to - whether the keyboards, drums or strings are samples or recorded in real time, whether a sour vocal has been ...

The “astral jazz” of the early 70s has a lot to answer for, from the would-be cosmic meanderings of latter-day drum ‘n’ bass (4hero’s Two Pages, the bulk of Good Looking Records’ output) to the tepid ...