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The Cinematics - Strange Education

Rating

RIYL

REM
The Smiths
Bloc Party
The Killers

Tracklist

1. Race to the City
2. Break
3. Strange Education
4. Human
5. Chase
6. Rise & Fall
7. Sunday Sun
8. Keep Forgetting
9. Ready Now
10. Maybe Someday
11. Alright
12. Asleep at the Wheel

We all know that 80’s nostalgia is thriving in today’s music scene; it has been for years. The Cinematics happily heft the 80’s torch into the air and begin their leg of the race with Strange Education. With sounds that mix one part Depeche Mode, two parts REM & The Smiths, and a good dash of dance floor beats a la Bloc Party (or Franz Ferdinand for that matter), you’ve heard everything The Cinematics have to offer before. You’ve actually heard it a few times over, as they don’t mind wearing their musical influences on their sleeves.

Don’t mistake the band’s lack of innovation as an instant indication to dismiss them. The band has the potential to achieve success on today’s radio waves as proven by their peers, The Killers. There’s no doubt that they write a catchy pop song. Most any song off this album holds its own quite well and could easily be a single. Their downfall is how little the tone changes throughout the disc, which makes listening to the album in its entirety harder. Fans of some of the aforementioned acts would probably disagree and find it a pleasurable journey, but the average listener will find it a bit arduous. A positive note is that they don’t fall prey to frequent, droning ballads and choose, instead, to keep most their offerings up-tempo.

The boys in The Cinematics aren’t wholly lacking in the talent department. Scott Rinnings’s vocals are pleasant while they could benefit from displaying more versatility. For a lion's share of the disc, I find them being reminiscent of Michael Stipe. The guitars and drums are something you’d likely find on a Hot Hot Heat or Bloc Party album. The bass truly is the most impressive contribution to the musical soundscape of Strange Education; many times the bass lines on Live’s Mental Jewelry come to mind (especially on “Keep Forgetting”). It’s got a punch while also lending to the group’s rear-shaking tendencies.

“Rise & Fall” offers variation in its groove during the verses while “Break” arguably has the catchiest chorus (and is the main reason the Depeche Mode association began). The one standout track that really displays the band's full capabilities, however, is “Asleep at the Wheel”; it finds them closing the album out in a wall of sound jam that provides a change of pace, albeit a little late in the game.

The Cinematics could possibly take off with the release of Strange Education if they are marketed properly. The stage for their style of music has been set with no foreseeable decline in interest. Don’t be surprised if you hear more of these guys in the near future, even though the band has a lot of growth to accomplish before they achieve noteworthy status among most music connoisseurs.

--Jeremy Deal