Over the last few weeks, I’ve done a 180 on the latest Cinematic Orchestra release, Ma Fleur. Upon first listen, I thought “What the fuck is this sentimental bullshit?,” since the weepy strings and plaintive vocals seemed so overwrought that they were practically bludgeoning you into an emotional response. The departure from the more jazz-inflected Every Day also wasn’t working in the album’s favor, since I had an idea of what I wanted this album to be, and this wasn’t it.

I kept giving the album another chance, and at some point it clicked, but only once I divorced this outing from what I’d heard before. Approaching this album with fresh ears, you listen to it for what it is, a score to a movie that has yet to be made. Yes, it’s as subtle as a sledgehammer to the face, but so what? It’s music with a purpose, and I stopped criticizing the album for being so direct in its intentions. This is an album for late nights, long walks, and starry skies, and I think too many people are dismissing this release because of what they thought would come next. For me this is one of the year’s best thus far, so if you’ve only given this album a cursory listen, I strongly urge you to revisit it.