The Cinematic Orchestra song "To Build A Home" will be featured in the next Grey's Anatomy show airing on Thursday, Sept 27.

Ma Fleur was written as the soundtrack to a specially commissioned screenplay for an imagined film (which may or may not yet be made). Having completed a rough version by early 2005, Jason Swinscoe gave a copy to a friend, who disappeared for 3 weeks and came back with short story scripts. Each scene represented a story of a different time in life, expressing the emotions which underpin the journey from birth to death. Gradually, Swinscoe recruited suitable vocalists for the atmospheres and themes he wanted to deal with. The remarkable Fontella Bass (the woman behind both legendary soul number "Rescue Me" as well as some of the Art Ensemble of Chicago's finest moments) had worked on "Everyday" and was an obvious choice to voice the parts of the elderly protagonist that Swinscoe envisaged. Mercury-nominated Lou Rhodes is not only a fantastic singer but a young mother and so perfect for the "mid-life" singer. The as-yet unheralded Patrick Watson, a remarkable vocalist from Montreal, became the youngest of the trio.

Dealing with themes of loss and love - and in itself representing a kind of absence - "Ma Fleur" is fertile ground for Swinscoe's brand of music-making, for while people have talked about what he does in terms of jazz, the truth is that the basis of his music has always been in raw emotion. From the subtle opener "That Home" to the achingly beautiful finale, "To Build A Home," this is an album which reaches for and finds a truth and honesty far beyond what we would normally expect from such a record, but without losing any of the accessibility which made TCO popular in the first place. If the mood is melancholy, Swinscoe and the musicians he works with manage to make it an ultimately uplifting experience, perhaps in the end more about the love you find than the love you lose.

The Cinematic Orchestra will be bringing their acclaimed live show to select North American venues in July and a full tour this Fall.

Fall US Tour Dates
9/14 Los Angeles, CA @ El Rey Theatre
9/15 Francisco, CA @ Bimbos 365 Club
9/16 Portland, OR @ Aladdin Theater
9/17 Seattle, WA @ Neumos
9/18 Vancouver, BC @ Richards on Richards
9/21 Minneapolis, MN @ Fine Line Music Cafe
9/22 Chicago, IL@ The Abbey Pub
9/23 Toronto, ON @ Phoenix
9/24 Montreal, QC @ Club Soda
9/25 Boston, MA @ Paradise
9/26 New York, NY @ Webster Hall