Ma Fleur
by The Cinematic Orchestra
  • Record Label: Domino
  • Release Date: Jun 5, 2007
Metascore
78

Generally favorable reviews - based on 16 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 13 out of 16
  2. Mixed: 3 out of 16
  3. Negative: 0 out of 16
  1. BBC collective
    100
    It’s not just the recurrent meditations on mortality that makes Ma Fleur even more heart-rendingly beautiful than 2002’s Everyday, it’s also how The Cinematic Orchestra’s new album actually feels.
  2. PopMatters
    90
    It’s a demanding and complex album that has proven to be one of the best albums I’ve heard in years, a universal soundtrack to a life that requires no visuals to imagine.
  3. Tiny Mix Tapes
    90
    Its sharpness in wake of modesty might make it The Cinematic Orchestra’s biggest accomplishment to date.
  5. Filter
    82
    The songs are almost too precious, demanding total attention to appreciate the subtle fluctuations in texture and tone. [#25, p.102]
    All this publication's reviews
  6. Drowned In Sound
    80
    While Ma Fleur is no better than The Cinematic Orchestra’s previous scores, it is equally gorgeous in how it responds to and ekes out intellectual quagmires of song.
  7. musicOMH.com
    80
    With its frequent emotional crescendos, then quiet dying away, Ma Fleur is more than a match for its predecessors, and will undoubtedly cement The Cinematic Orchestra’s reputation as intellectually sustaining performers of beautiful, emotive music.
  8. Observer Music Monthly
    80
    Though this is their most vocal-oriented album yet... it's actually the instrumental tracks - 'Child Song' and 'As the Stars Fall' - that have the most depth.
  9. The Guardian
    80
    Neither jazz nor trip-hop nor any other label you might care to slap on it, Ma Fleur delineates an immensely moving, utterly distinct night-time world which is a pleasure to inhabit.
  10. Sputnikmusic
    80
    Ma Fleur is a triumphant return for The Cinematic Orchestra.
  11. Uncut
    80
    [A] remarkable album. [Jun 2007, p.91]
    All this publication's reviews
  12. Mojo
    80
    An eerily oneiric album of light, space and silence. [Jun 2007, p.100]
    All this publication's reviews
  13. Prefix Magazine
    70
    Much like that of the band's previous albums, the value of Ma Fleur is in its exploration of how to grip an emotion out of simplicity.
  14. Pitchfork
    64
    Slow, sugary, and perhaps a little too safe, this is not quite the return that Cinematic fans will want it to be.
  15. The A.V. Club
    58
    Ma Fleur is heavy on atmospheric standing still, with tunes not beguiling enough to make listeners stop to examine them up close.
  16. Almost Cool
    58
    If you enjoy ultra mellow jazz meanderings with the occasional slinky vocals that sound like they could be playing in the background at a mainstream coffee chain, Ma Fleur will provide in spades.
  17. Stylus Magazine
    42
    Predictably, the Orchestra works considerably better as a symphony band than an orchestral accompaniment.

Awards & Rankings

97
#97 Best Album of 2007
42
#42 Most Shared Album of 2007

User Reviews

All reviews »
User Score
8.1

Universal acclaim- based on 17 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 14 out of 17
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 17
  3. Negative: 1 out of 17
  1. ImmersedInSound
    Nov 19, 2014
    6
    Made with skill and not exactly bad. But a bore to listen to.
    With the exception of To Build A Home all of Ma Fleur is a tediously airy fairy    Made with skill and not exactly bad. But a bore to listen to.
    With the exception of To Build A Home all of Ma Fleur is a tediously airy fairy experience. If that makes any sense. Sort of like Bon Iver or Arcade Fire but without that wonderful feeling of originality and the vital emotional connection. Maybe even slightly pretentious in places and lacking in redeeming features I won't be listening to any of The Cinematic Orchestras other work.    … Full Review »
  2. RamonGuerrero
    May 28, 2014
    9
    A great and sensitive, moving album, with the chances of transporting us to a world of calm, if it wasn't for some annoying sounds in theA great and sensitive, moving album, with the chances of transporting us to a world of calm, if it wasn't for some annoying sounds in the background of some songs.… Full Review »
  3. MikeS
    Jan 27, 2009
    10
    Brilliant record. More atmosphere than the rest of the music industry's latest releases.
See all user reviews »