Cinema Cinema, from Brooklyn, New York has been around since 2008 and 'Mjölnir' is their latest release. The band consists of: Ev Gold: Vocals/Guitars; Paul Claro: Drums/Percussion/Wind; and Thor Harris: Synths/Percussion/Drums. I have heard the name Cinema Cinema before, but never their music....until now. I think they describe the band as experimental art punk, but after listening to both sides of this album, it seems more like disorganized noise rock. Don't get me wrong, noise rock can be great but this...well...that's another story. The first quote about this album on their Bandcamp site is somewhat telling - "Crackling lo-fi-esque guitars and steadily driving percussive pulse topped with half spoken half yelled vocals creates a picturesque and gripping mood that encapsulates the listener fully, acting as a taste of great things to come…" I certainly rage with the first part of that statement, but not at all with the latter part of it.

The album is 9 tracks over 2 sides of opaque red vinyl, and the red vinyl and cover art by Lauren Kelly are the best things about it. While the first track ("This Dream") is just Ev Gold warbling about "this dream" over some atmospherics, "War On You" is a full-on steamwiser profanity-laced screamo rant of epic proportions. Somebody's pretty angry...but that's the schtick, I guess. "Walk Into the Ocean" had me wishing he would. On the plus side, drummer Thor has all the charm and energy of Von Lmo. (Being from Brooklyn, I guess he knows who I'm talking about.) Ev's vocals are like a mental patient ranting about...whatever comes into his head...sometimes muttering, mumbling, sometimes screaming. I imagine that live, you never know what you're going to get. On "My Vision of the Future" Ev states "you're not included". Thanks for opting me out...saves me the trouble. There are odd touches of synths/keyboards on this album, which makes it a bit interesting in places, but I can't get over its aimlessness.

Hardcore and modern punk enthusiasts will probably love this album, but don't count me among them. Interestingly, the digital version sounded a lot better than the vinyl version to these ears. Maybe yours, but not my cup of mud. A star for the cover, a star for the red vinyl, 1/2 for the rest.