The Cinematics hail from The Highlands of Scotland, a place fitting for the inspiration it provides to these boys. Dark, haunting, melodic, (and for better or for worse) cinematic tunes are churned out by the four piece on their TVT debut, A Strange Education. While contemporary bands like Editors and Interpol are an easy comparison, upon a closer listen, groups like The Smiths, Echo & The Bunnymen and The Cure come to mind.
Big repeating guitar riffs and huge post-punk songs run rampant throughout the album, as well as front-man Scott Rinning’s smooth Morrissey-esque vocals. The first single, “Break,” boasts a disco-punk groove and is awfully catchy whereas “Keep Forgetting” begins almost identically to Editors’ “Blood,” but quickly changes pace once the chorus starts. A pleasant surprise on the record, a cover of Beck’s “Sunday Sun,” sits about halfway through. The tune keeps true to Beck’s version except it adds a little of the band’s flavor to it with a soaring chorus and jagged guitars. The last track, “Asleep At The Wheel,” is when the band starts to experiment with their sound creating crunchy textures and a driving rhythm section. It has prog-rock written all over it and totally stands out. While it would have been nice to hear more like this on the album, it makes for an interesting closer and gives me an idea of how energetic they could be live.
The Cinematics remain easily accessible up until the end, but that doesn’t mean that it is throw away pop. Instead their music transcends normal boundaries ranging from fitting on Grey’s Anatomy type shows to finding a home on the most discerning indie snob’s music shelf. Yes, there are other bands out there like them (with more notability) but The Cinematics hold their ground and we are looking forward to watching them grow.
“Break” MP3
