Welcome to the Cinema

Tour Dates

08/09/08 Pavillion (Days Inn). tour kickoff! w/Cloud Dog and the Golden Bubbles. Brookings, South Dakota
08/11/08 It’s Primetime Paintball w/ Phantasmagorias Gillette, Wyoming
08/13/08 The waterhole w/The Reddmen Douglas, Wyoming
08/14/08 Zebra Cocktail Lounge w/ Saving Jane Bozeman, Montana
08/18/08 four0six Helena, Montana
08/20/08 T.R.E.A. Rapid City, South Dakota
08/21/08 Nutty’s North with My Lady Four and Trace the Skyline Sioux Falls, South Dakota
08/22/08 House of Voices w/ Forgotten Voices Fargo, North Dakota
08/23/08 400 Bar CD Release! w/The Hopefuls Minneapolis, Minnesota
09/06/08 Shelter Music Festival Madison, South Dakota
09/20/08 SDSU Rotunda Green 4 Sierra Club Brookings, South Dakota

New Wave music never really died. Sure, thanks primarily to MTV, there was a time in the early 1980s that New Wave was The Next Big Thing In Music, and poppy New Wavers like Duran Duran and Thompson Twins dominated Top 40 radio…but the New Wave and all the subgenres that the term encompassed (everything from ska to post-punk) was always, at heart, an underground, independent movement. For every Spandau Ballet or Depeche Mode who broke through into pop stardom there were a hundred indie artists who enjoyed a more moderate, but no less rewarding, success. As the ’80s bled away into the musical wasteland of the 1990s, New Wave never vanished–it kept plugging along in the form of the hundreds of bands and artists who eventually came to comprise what we today regard as the “indie” music scene. While The Killers and The Cinematics were again taking the New Wave sound to the top of the pop charts, bands like My Favorite, Antarctica, The Epoxies, VHS or Beta, and Whitest Boy Alive (among thousands of others) have been producing music that clearly shows that the New Wave “sound” is alive and well, and perhaps even more vibrant today that ever before, thanks to the prevalence of affordable home studio gear that truly fulfills the post-punk DIY aesthetic.

Welcome to the Cinema (MySpace) is one of those “timeless” New Wave bands who could very well be from the early ’80s or the early 2000s. Formed in 2006 by Darin Dahlmeier (guitars and lead vocals), Zeke Richter (bass and backing vocals). Andrew Edie (lead guitar, keyboards, and backing vox), Tom Weismantel (synths) and Cody Brown (drums), this South Dakotan band will be releasing their debut album, Blocks and Hills, this August 26–and if you’re in the mood for some straight-up, no-nonsense New Wave rock, then you need this record.

Blocks and Hills delivers ten tracks of tight, polished rock led by skittery, David Byrne-ish guitar licks and sharp analog synths and backed up by beats that range from dancey to rocking. All of the songs are upbeat affairs that maintain a consistent level of energy. It’s not a long album, but it is a distinctive one, and, like any good New Wave band, Welcome to the Cinema know that a short but substantial album is a lot more memorable than a long, repetitious affair. After all, it’s much easier to keep your music lively and fresh in small, intense doses rather than long, leisurely sips. The album opens with “Weekend at the Hampton,” a taut little jam driven by an intense rock-and-roll guitar lead and rollicking drums (the two most prominent elements that define the music), but the sly, sexy “Tasty Taste”–which sounds a bit like something from Louis XIV’s first album–really gets this show going. “Shark Vs. Boat” is definitely the highlight of the entire album: a jangly freakout that will make you want to flail around with its jaunty Bow Wow Wow-goes-to-the-beach vibe.

But here’s the cool thing–the rest of the album doesn’t rest on its laurels! After an adrenaline-soaked blast like “Shark Vs. Boat,” it would be tempting to think that the rest of the tracks might sound…well, exhausted, paling in comparison. Though “The Sound of Thinking” is a more sedate track than its predecessor, it’s still a powerful song whose haunting lead guitar really calls attention to itself despite sounding relaxed. “Ireland” adds just a touch of ska to pick up the pace again, and “Holy Ghost” will get you bobbin’ ya head within one second with its rubbery beat, even as its wistful lyrics display the band’s ability to be introspective as well as boisterous. “Tundra” assembles a booty-slappin’ beat and a boppy synth line into a terrifically sing-along number, “Saturday Morning” alternates between headbanging and high-kicking funk (with a guitar line that would be perfectly at home in a Talking Heads song), and “Ocean Potion” provides a great little ballad with all the heartfelt sway of Madness’ more reflective songs. Finally, “Must Be Love” wraps everything up on a high, punchy note. All together, a remarkably steady album that explores a number of different tempos while keeping the music lively and potent.

Following in the spirit of many New Wave pioneers, Welcome to the Cinema’s Blocks and Hills is entirely self-produced and available directly from the band, who are touring right now in support of it. Seriously, this is the Real Deal, folks.

Links: welcometothecinema.com myspace.com/WelcometotheCinema