It’s nice to see derivation finally becoming an acceptable trend in rock. Maybe it’s the fallout from celebrating sampling, or maybe it’s a sign of older rock critics dying off. The latter’s a happier thought, of course. Either way, it’s now absolutely fine for a young rock act to strive for sounding exactly like an older, better act. Thanks to those moronic old rock critics, a young act can even get acclaim for sounding like any number of overrated saps.

Admittedly, it’s a downward spiral. A lot of derivative acts have still earned rightful accolades. Aerosmith got to step in while the Rolling Stones were experimenting with country music and heroin. The Moody Blues thrived on the post-Pepper’s prog that The Beatles declined. Cockney Rebel kept glam breathing while Bowie went to Berlin and Roxy Music went on life support.

You can collect Bob Dylan and Elvis Costello imitations like so many postage stamps. Most of them made albums that we would’ve liked to have gotten from latter-day Bob Dylan or Elvis Costello.

Anyway, there’s no better shining example of the times than a bill of Mute Math and The Cinematics. These bands could technically be considered useless—unless, of course, some comet comes by that wipes out all of our recorded music (along with every musician over 30) and leaves us having to recreate the sound of decades past.

And yet each act has its own special charm. A Strange Education shows that The Cinematics are blessed with the ability to sound like a classic new-wave band starting their career instead of one that’s about to be dropped from their label. More specifically, they’re the first Scottish act in some time that sounds better than all those crappy Scottish acts of the ’80s. (If anyone ever tries to sell you something called a C86 compilation, tell him you’ve already helped out some mentally handicapped little children.)

The big trick is that The Cinematics are blatantly ambitious and honestly soulful. They could’ve been a wonderfully helpful influence on U2 back in the ’70s. Mute Math could’ve done the same for old Peter Gabriel. Last year’s self-titled major-label debut is Gabriel without the art-school funk pretenses—and, Christ, wasn’t that always the most annoying thing about the guy?

Since they’re from New Orleans, Mute Math can also occasionally get rootsy and mainstream like The Fray or Dave Matthews, but—and this is the genius part—eschew hippie-dippy beats in favor of throwing back to synthy sounds and Britpop shufflings. That band name probably lures in a few unsuspecting Shudder to Think fans, too.

With that much going on, Mute Math was right to sue when the executives at Warner Bros. wanted to promote the act as a Contemporary Christian group. That’s a genre that’s always thrived on derivative performers providing wholesome alternatives to, say, a Pearl Jam or a Green Day. For Mute Math—and The Cinematics—that scene is strictly for amateurs.

March 13, Gramercy Theatre, 127 E. 23rd St. (betw. Lexington Ave. & Park Ave. S.), 212-777-6800; 7, $15/$17.