Erratic Cinematic

I’ll admit it, Gerry Cinnamon is a bit of a guilty pleasure. His biggest hits ‘Belter’ and ‘Canter’ do my head in, but there are enough gems here, too catchy to ignore, that the album keeps sneaking into my rotation. Most likely due to my Scottish bias. This isn’t a masterpiece but a personal favourite.

Erratic Cinematic is the debut album of Gerry Cinnamon. It sounds as if it is an Scottish singer-songwriter album of the late 1960s. That is also the problem as it sounds like the past 55 years have not happened. If the songs were very great this could be forgiven. The songs "Sometimes", "What Have You Done", "Keysies" and "War Tv" are the best ones, but several are mediocre. Now it's just a fake time capsule with reasonable songs, but nothing more.

Did not feel too much about this album. It was pretty mediocre

Indie rock, indie folk, folk rock, anti-folk. Interesante. No lo conocía. Me recuerda a Friska Viljor

Gorgeous, the Dialect adds so much

Really great stuff! Glad this was brought to my attention.

Solid Scottish folk, but it strikes one as neither reductively Scottish nor entirely folky. “Sometimes” is a strong opener with clear indie rock vibes and broad, crowd-pleasing effects (no shame in that). “Diamonds in the Mud” is also excellent in much the same way. Freshly retrogressive one would say, rather than backward looking or excessively traditional. The whistling works too. One’s glad to have made this acquaintance, so thanks, recommender. Fine to replace the John Grant record or Joanna Newsom, and could be convinced that this is better than Devendra Barnhart even (though that choice would be mood-dependent). Now maybe some Arab Strap might be in order, nae?

Good name. Cinnamon, that is "He has said that he was a fan of Oasis and The La's. He has a particular admiration for the work of Bob Dylan." - I believe it Waiiit... "Belter" was sung by this guy? For context, I lived in Ireland for 18 months, and heard it all around before the pubs all shut for the coronavirus. Guess it makes sense for Ireland to be tuned into the Scottish music scene as well. I don't think I've heard it once in the 5 years since I returned to Canadaland. Not even sure it's the best song on the album, but what a rush of nostalgia just there. If nostalgia is the right word. Being in a foreign country during lockdown really was the best of times and the worst of times But enough about me! Though this is his debut album, Gerry Cinnamon already seems quite the savant at likeable melodies and wordless choruses. I look forward to checking out his rich catalogue of... one more album :/ HL: "What Have You Done", "Belter", title track, "Diamonds and Mud", "War TV" December 19, 2025

This is nothing if not always interesting. I like.

The first song reminded me of the SNL performance of "I Wish It Was Christmas Today". But as the album moved on, it became more charming and "sing-a-long-able." Reading his bio on Spotify, and seeing that a lot of his shows became massive group sing-a-longs, I totally get it. It's a fun album, and I enjoyed it a good deal. The title track was probably the song I liked the best, it had a real pining towards the movies. Top tracks: title track, "War TV," "Lullaby"

Again, great story telling with acoustic instrumentals. This guy knows where he comes from

Never heard of him. Quite enjoyed

Even if this felt a bit disjoint at times, it was nice to hear some Scottish representation on a list that leans heavily towards England. Don’t think I’ll return to this LP anytime soon, but Cinnamon sings his heart out here and I had a good time listening.

Worth it for the lovely thick Scottish lilt. A nice debut album, would be interested in listening to more.

I listened to this but do not remember which is not a good sign

Not bad

Solid singer-songwriter fare, mostly pretty pop-oriented but folk inflections.

Indie rock, indie folk, folk rock, anti-folk. Ni fu ni fa.

Indie rock, indie folk, folk rock, anti-folk. Ni fu ni fa.

This album art, in 2017?!!

Good record.

This is probably the best Scottish indie album I've had on the list. That is a very low bar. However, this was actually enjoyable and there was a song or two that I actually enjoyed. I probably will never listen to Gerry Cinnamon again, but if you needed a Scottish indie album on the list it should probably be this one.

It's quaint and there's even a suspicion he's ripped off bits from classic 60s tunes ('Lullaby' sounding a bit like 'Money') but nothing to write home about.

Respectable Scottish folk. Not much to write home about but fine enough I guess.

Wow, this is, extremely dull? No offense, everyone. It has no personality of its own and can't seem to decide what it wants to be. A folkier pop? A pale imitation at folk legends' stylings? Either way, this has nothing to be worth listening to, IMO. It's nearly parody of itself. It isn't offensive enough to be a one, but... man.

Scottish singer-songwriter for gen-x or boomer audiences out of touch with "current" music, and who don't give a damn about it. Good for them. And good for Gerry Cinnamon that he can fill large concert halls without compromising with the music industry in ways that don't suit his personal ethics. That dig at said music industry's "cocaine scene" in opener "Sometimes" sure was amusing, was it not? That said, the man's music feels so derivative (and even hackneyed at times) that it's hard for me not to take it derisively. Most of the songs either go nowhere due to their short length, or wallow in clichés that make them sort of annoying (example: "Lullaby"). I understand why a reviewer here talked of a "guilty pleasure"... Can those obnoxious "la la la" and "la-di-da" be anything else in 2025? Also, the very cheap and "cold" production values of the first two tracks made them sound quite weird. Gerry's voice comes off as inauthentic there, which takes the cake given the music style he plays. Fortunately, the "production values" got slightly better right after in the tracklist, with a more barebones feel that serves the songs right, at least. The title-track is a gem, by the way, moody, folksy and... yes, cinematic -- indeed in an "erratic" fashion, but that's not a bad thing for this one track. Unfortunately, the fake drums returned for "Diamonds In The Mud", and they still sound awful. There are ways to make DIY drum programming convey the right sort of energy, but they're not to be found here. And then, it's already the end of this short album, with "War TV"... The anti-war sentiment expressed in that political closer is as relevant as ever -- we're not "progressing" indeed, not with the same sorts of pigs holding power for eons now -- and Gerry's Glaswegian accent brings a nice grassroots touch to this protest song. But hey, let's face it: we've heard that sort of song a thousand times before. And yet nothing changed. Maybe it's time for artists to find other ways to protest and effectively inspire revolt. Because it's clear that aping the old ways is now a simulacrum that has become totally ineffective -- just like most of the music on *Erratic Cinematic* is for me. The Times, They Are-a-NOT Changing, I'm afraid. 1.5/5 for the purposes of this list of essential albums, rounded up to 2 (4.5 for the musicianship and production values + 2 for the artistry) 6.5/10 for more general purposes (5 + 1.5) ---- Number of albums from the original list I find relevant enough to be mandatory listens: 465 Albums from the original list I *might* include in mine later on: 288 Albums from the original list I won't include in mine: 336 ---- Number of albums from the users list I find relevant enough to be mandatory listens: 61 Albums from the users list I *might* select for mine later on: 81 Albums from the users list I won't select for mine: 148 (including this one) ---- Emile... Ma propre balise temporelle... Tu trouveras mes trois dernières réponses sous les albums d'Eric B. & Rakim, Shpongle et Ookla The Mok

Prettt shit ngl 2

Erratic Cinematic sounds like it should be from a few decades ago and that's not really a compliment when it's a 2017 effort. It's just very twee and very dull, and when his accent comes through really strongly on songs like Belter and Diamonds in the Mud it makes things worse for me. The first track, Sometimes, is decent enough but the rest is just meh, 2/5.

Bad