Artist Cinema, Cinema

Unlike many bands that claim to love both pop hooks and experimental effects-pedal wankery, New York duo Cinema, Cinema keeps the sound pretty clean and lets the vocals lead the songs instead of burying them under reverb-slop. The 2008 album Exile Baby might not boast the most original songwriting, but at their best, guitarist-singer Ev Gold and drummer Paul Claro beat and yell an admirable bit of sexy classic-rock soul into the more straight-ahead rockers. Tracks like "Hope Dies Last" and "Rx" prove a lot more effective, in fact, than either the most "experimental" moments or the goopiest ballads in the band's repertoire. 

Updated 12/10/2009