This would have to be the CD that encapsulates everything Scottish in today’s music industry. Gerry Cinnamon, a Castlemilk native, released his first album in September 2017, three years after becoming an online phenomenon with his pro-independence song “Hope Over Fear,” for which he was dubbed “voice of the referendum.” Gerry Cinnamon is a Glasgow-based acoustic indie musician who is open about his love for his hometown and everything that it entails. His “Caledonian” brand of everyday, hometown music has evolved from his bedroom to massive venues all over Scotland, including T in the Park in 2016, the Barrowlands, and, most recently, the EH6 Festival, where he was the headliner. This CD is a great example of Scottish traditional, folk, and blues music.
1. The record’s inspirations are timeless.
You may hear the iconic vibes of Johnny Cash, Bob Dylan, Pink Floyd, and Otis Redding, to mention a few, when you listen to Erratic Cinematic. The album’s inspirations make it a timeless classic that we’ve been listening to on repeat.
2. The lyrics are wonderful.
Gerry Cinnamon’s songs, like Alex Turner’s, are so relatable that they feel like they were created especially for you. Gerry has covered all the feelings on Erratic Cinematic, from the lovestruck words of ‘Belter’ to choosing happiness over money on ‘Fortune Favours.’
3. It’s an album that owes its existence entirely to one man.
Gerry is the sole member of Erratic Cinematic. With no record label support, he composed, produced, and self-released the album, which he catapulted to the top of the iTunes album rankings with little more than a social media post — top kid.
4. That slang
The Castlemilk twang of Gerry Cinnamon is obvious, and it’s what sets Erratic Cinematic apart. Start practising your finest Glaswegian accent now so you can sing along with Gerry and yell “she is a belllllteeerrrrr” at Community ’19.
5. The ultimate singalong anthem is ‘Lullaby.’
‘Sometimes’ and ‘Belter’ are proper anthems, but we prefer ‘Lullaby.’ When the sun shines down on Finny P, it’ll sound like an incredible life.
6. It’s a classic indie rock song
Erratic Cinematic is a nine-track, 31-minute album of pure indie rock. It’s a huge chorus of indie rock at its finest, from the opening rhythms of ‘Sometimes’ to the final strummed acoustics of ‘War TV,’ and we can’t get enough.
We can see and hear from the beginning that this song is influenced by the silver screen; what is reality and what is an illusion. Whistling is a recurrent theme in Gerry’s compositions, and the combination of whistling and folk-style acoustic guitar in this song gives it a really appealing, western vibe. This piece of music is incredibly mysterious, especially with the harmonies in the chorus, like going to watch a new movie. The repeated movie allusions throughout, as well as the phrase “just want to go home,” suggest that this individual is trapped in their own imagination and unable to discover the reality. The final whistle, on its own, portrays the impression of being lost once more.
