The Cinematics A Strange Education
Genre: Rock
Stand out tracks: Break, A Strange Education, Chase
Record Label: TVT Records
By BMcMahon

Joining the rising talent pool of Scottish Bands such as Snow Patrol, Belle & Sebastian and Travis, The Cinematics are their latest proud addition to the rock scene. Now residing in the lively city of Glasgow, the band consists of Scott Rinning (lead vocals/guitar), Ross Bonney (drums), Ramsay Miller (lead guitar) and Adam Goemans (bass guitar). Claiming influences from The Clash and Talking Heads, this foursome grew up together in the quiet highlands of Scotland, playing since their youth and eventually forming The Cinematics in 2003.

Previously, tagging along on tour with Mute Math (now with The Bravery), they’re impressing new listeners the first time around. After seeing them open for Mute Math a couple months ago, I was not only impressed with their performance and stunned at the entertainment value of an opening act, but the crowd was completely entranced by their performance. CDs were selling out after the show and show-goers were thrilled to have gotten their money’s worth from such a praise-worthy act.

A Strange Education has had the same effect from the moment I first began listening to The Cinematics a month after I saw them perform. I remembered how much I enjoyed their show from the moment I saw them, but I was still skeptical to listen to their CD, so I didn’t bother looking into them right away. Months passed and I couldn’t forget about how well Rinning handled the mic, how harmoniously loud they were and what a stage presence there was. Without any further stalling I forced myself to pick up their latest, and just as I figured, I immediately ate it up.

At first listen, The Cinematics sound like a strange mixture of The Killers and The Cure with a hint of Interpol. The fact that they can be compared to these enormously popular groups makes ASE instantly acceptable to any electro-pop leech or progressive rock audiophile. Their first track, “Race to the City”, exemplifies this. A mammoth guitar foundation with oddball riffs like those of Interpol open this album with a thunderclap. I’m not a dancer, but if I heard this out at the bar/club scene, I would be fighting to stand still.

Vocals: 8.4 Album flow: 8.4 Sound: 8.6 Overall Album: 8.5 Reviewer’s Tilt: 8.6

Following up is “Break”, one of their two singles on this album. Again, this song shakes the room; perfect for any loud scenario you could put yourself in. Track three, “A Strange Education”, also makes my cut as another top favorite on ASE, with its scintillating high chorus notes and rolling verses. “Chase” (their second single), follows suit, slowing the album pace down just a tad, while letting Scott Rinning showboat his range in this softer song. All glam and glitz, these tracks are nagging your ears to stay keen. There’s certainly no putting a damper on the momentum carried through the first half of ASE.

Don’t put your drink down yet! ASE continues their foot-tapping rhythms until the album’s end, shown in “Keep Forgetting” (single to be released 9/3/07) and “Maybe Someday”, which keep up the speedy pace from the first six tracks. “Asleep at the Wheel”, their loudest song on ASE, really hits the mark. Winding guitars, pounding drums and raucous yelling are mixed together as though you’re reenacting the whimsical car crash. Concluding the album with this song, ASE has made for a flowing and superb transition from song to song Each song picks up where the last lets off, showing a consistent sound and well-developed album all of the way to its end.

It’s easy to say The Cinematics are on the cutting edge of what modern rock listeners want to hear. They have the elements of electro rock, which has been blindly popular recently. Their lead singer can either go out of control or turn a 180, calm down and sing “Home” (hidden track) on an acoustic set and make The Cinematics sound like a different band. They have also been recently featured in Spin Magazine’s article, who label them as ‘breaking out’; and that is just what they’ll do as growing popularity and further media recognition push them upward on their way to stardom. Give this a spin and thank me later.