Monday, April 17, 2006

A long way from the Highlands

Things are moving rather quickly for The Cinematics, regularly regarded as one of Scotland's best new bands.

One of their tracks was featured on the soundtrack for Transporter 2. In March, they completed a successful, one-month tour of England, playing gigs in everywhere from Stoke-on-Trent to Sheffield. Two sets at the SXSW Festival then followed. And just last week, the band opened up for We Are Scientists, playing before a sold-out crowd of over 2,000 at Shepherds Bush Empire in London.

The Cinematics have certainly come a long way from their roots -- a tiny hamlet in the Scottish Highlands named Dingwall, a place where the livestock outnumbers the people 20 to 1. (Their words, not mine!) And while you can take the boy out of the Highlands, it's apparent you can't take the Highlands out of the boy; The Cinematics' music can be as lush as a northern pasture filled with yellow mountain violets, as moving as a sunset over Loch Leven.

Glasgow is The Cinematics' current base of operations. There, they've become regulars at venues like King Tut's. In between shows, the group cut a single, "Chase," with noted producer Stephen Hague, who previously worked with acts such as Public Image Ltd. and The Pet Shop Boys. An LP is forthcoming.

Hear it for yourself. Download: "Chase" by The Cinematics.