THE CINEMATICS
"A
Strange Education" (TVT Records; 2007)
Reviewed by Jeff Rogers
The full-length "A Strange
Education" completes what was begun with The Cinematics' EP “Break.” Mix up The Smiths and Joy Division and you get The Cinematics. While not a heavy sounding
band (and not because they hail from Glasgow, Scotland), The Cinematics use a slick style of pop to get their music across the Atlantic.
I like my music a little more on the rock side and The Cinematics lean toward the West End and all those boutiques, cafés and tea rooms that I’ll probably never visit. I liked The Smiths and Morrissey a few years ago but the icy Atlantic cooled my jets and now I long for a more muscular sound from a band.
The Cinematics are a good band and their talent here is on full display with a full album. If you like to listen to your music traveling
at the mandated speed limit while fully belted in then The Cinematics are safe enough. The first three tracks pump with enough energy to get you interested but
things fall flat after that. Even their cover of Beck’s “Sunday Sun” is
just that ... a cover, nothing more.
The best tracks are “Race To The City,” “Break,” and “A Strange Education.”
The Cinematics: Scott Rinning – vocals, guitar; Ramsay Miller – lead guitar, vocals; Adam Goemans – bass; Ross Bonney – drums.
For more information, check out http://www.thecinematics.com.
"Break
EP" (TVT Records; 2006)
Reviewed by R. Scott Bolton
The Cinematics sound a lot like Joy Division and other bands of that ilk so ... if you like those bands, you'll like The Cinematics. Three of the four tracks here are bright, crystal clear pop rockers with a nice alternative edge that may not break any boundaries in the originality department, but don't make for bad listening.
Track four, an acoustic version of the band's "Home," is another story entirely, being a screechy, whiny, over-the-top exercise that is quite difficult to endure for its four minute, thirty second running time (I got through maybe 3 minutes, fifteen seconds before reaching for the stop button).
The Cinematics: Scott Rinning - lead vocals, guitar; Ramsay Miller - lead guitar, vocals; Adam Goemans - bass guitar; Ross Bonney - Drums, percussion.
For more information, check out www.thecinematics.com.
Rating Guide:
A classic. This record will kick your ass.
Killer. Not a classic but it will rock your world.
So-so. You've heard better.
Pretty bad. Might make a nice coaster.
Self explanatory. Just the sight of the cover makes you wanna hurl.
Copyright © 2007 by R. Scott Bolton. All rights
reserved.
Revised: 14 Oct 2024 14:01:57 -0400.
