The Cinematics - Love and Terror

(The Orchard)

Glaswegian quartet The Cinematics have been doing the rounds for a few years now, with only the odd brush against success to show for their efforts. Tales of record company collapses, studio eviction and the attempted firebombing of the pub below their flat suggest it isn’t their fault, however.

This is a strong and confident album, albeit one which wears its influences like a bandana. Larry Reid’s guitars during the title track, for example, are ringers for those of The Edge. ‘Wish (When the Banks Collapse)’ (a title even Thom Yorke might have condensed) sounds like The Cure, and there are strong hints of Editors and Franz Ferdinand elsewhere. Yet such obvious homage isn’t a big problem when it’s done so well.