Buzz Bin: Welcome to the Cinema

Welcome to the Cinema should be boring. They've got all the familiar quirks we've come to expect from an indie-band--synths, affected vocals, "angular" guitars, etc. I get the impression that they used to listen to a lot of Modest Mouse, and, more recently, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, although I bet they don't listen to either of those bands frequently anymore. Basically, Welcome to the Cinema sound familiar; they're a band you've already heard without really hearing them.

But even though Welcome to the Cinema should be boring, they're not boring. Like Chicago's Ponys or early Interpol, you can easily spot the influences, but that doesn't necessarily detract from the music. The song that caught my ear, "Ireland," is a fist-pumping chunk of post-punk that's verse is almost as catchy as its infectious chorus. Similarly, "Tasty Taste" churns on the strength of a minor-key guitar riff and pulsating bass, while "Holy Ghost" is a pleasant enough piece of wide-eyed pop. The weakest song of the bunch, "Sound of Thinking," isn't even all that bad; it just sounds so much like a Cure power-ballad that it freaks me out. Still, "Sound of Thinking" is a good Cure imitation, and good imitations are better than bad imitations. A good imitation gives me hope that Welcome to the Cinema will find their own voice, and, if they do, it will be a powerful voice.

This band probably has more songs, but I've only been able to hear the stuff that's posted on their myspace. Once my copy of their first, cleverly titled Welcome to the Cinema EP arrives I'll do a full review. Until then, check them out here.

(Pete Farrell)