Cinematic Orchestra - Live at the Royal Albert Hall 02.11.2007

It's such a cliché, but there really is something about the Royal Albert Hall that adds a sense of ceremony to proceedings. The rapturous applause that precedes the stately opener of All That You Give sets the scene perfectly for a trawl across the Cinematic Orchestra's three full lengths to date; the majority of material coming from 2007's Ma Fleur. There's an argument that the sextet are perhaps just a bit too smooth for their own good. However, this live document knocks that idea into touch; keys, sax and electronic improvisation have a freer reign, producing a much looser sound than their records sometimes achieve. Flite and the opener from the utterly faultless Everyday album stand out. Alas, the last two tracks go off the boil a bit with the apparently aimless improv of Ode to the Big Sea, and the overstated Time and Space, but overall the Cinematic Orchestra step up to the occasion famously. [Matt Gollock]