More about: The Cinematic Orchestra

When Ma Fleur was first released—fourteen years ago, back in 2007—it may well have struck The Cinematic Orchestra's fanbase as something of a surprise.

Preceded by a four year hiatus, the album's warmly luscious swells of sound and resolutely understated vocal utterances seemed to have little in common with the headily lethargic trip-hop and nu-jazz of the band's earlier output. Indeed, listening back to Ma Fleur the best part of a decade and a half on from its original release, it seems strikingly akin to a pensive, careworn slice of pastoral post-rock - all minor-key, resonant piano chords and broken-hearted strings. Truthfully, it's a hard record to place...which is exactly why it impresses as wholly as it does.

As patient and resolutely understated as its many admittedly repetitious songs are, Ma Fleur is also a deeply captivating and artfully crafted record which has aged so well that it sounds an awful lot as though it could have been released yesterday. There's a hint of latter-day Talk Talk in the mix— the jazzy lilt of Child Song evokes the spacious ambience and sun-speckled majesty of the latter's After The Flood—but, past that (and, perhaps, a hint of Bark Psychosis) there're relatively few stylistic touchstones to be found here. A work of arresting originality, it isn't difficult to see why Ma Fleur has ultimately come to stand as The Cinematic Orchestra's best-known work.

Reissued on vinyl for the first time since 2017 when it was released in a limited run for Record Store Day, Ma Fleur's latest appearance on the format comes not a moment too soon. Pressed on mid-weight clear vinyl—and boasting a triplicate of bonus tracks never before issued on wax—this release brings the album back into availability at a time when previous vinyl releases regularly fetch fairly hefty sums on the second-hand market.

As is often the case with Ninja Tune's vinyl releases, this set has been pressed at France's MPO, and, as will be of surprise to few familiar with their generally excellent output, this is a great sounding title. The mastering itself is excellent; Ma Fleur is an album of deeply nuanced, subtle soundscapes and the sonic presentation on this reissue does that trait full justice. The dynamic range is every bit as pronounced in its peaks and troughs as the instrumental performances themselves; acoustic guitars glister, pianos resound and voices susurrate and murmur with a disconcerting yet entirely appropriate intimacy.

As would be the case with any record as quiet as this, however, the experience of immersing oneself in Ma Fleur's eleven compositions relies entirely upon the quality of the vinyl pressing through which it's heard. It's therefore fortunate that this latest pressing of the album is essentially impeccable. Wrought with a whisper-quiet noise floor and free of any notable surface noise in the case of our copy, this clear vinyl pressing of Ma Fleur looks great and sounds even better. 

Packaged in a stout gatefold sleeve, Ma Fleur's arresting visual aesthetic is pushed to the forefront with this latest reissue. The cover itself is of excellent quality; the cardstock from which it has been manufactured is impressive and the print itself is likewise sharp and detailed. The spine is broad and emblazoned with bold text, ensuring that it will never be difficult to pick this particular title from a crowded shelf.

If we were to critique the album's resolutely minimalistic presentation at all, we'd argue that it's a shame that the inner-gatefold spread is left entirely void of information. There are no images adorning it and not so much as a word of text; it's instead left entirely blank, which seems an awful lot like a waste of space when lyrics could, for example, have been printed there in lieu of nothingness.

The records themselves are also included in generic, non-polylined paper sleeves; we always appreciate it when a label includes high-quality, protective polylined sleeves with their releases and, as that hasn't happened here, we would certainly advise prospective buyers to swap those sleeves out for more protective ones of their own.

BUY MA FLEUR ON VINYL.

More about: The Cinematic Orchestra