Express 5: Uh Huh Her on Synth-Pop & PJ Harvey

BANDS WITH ACTORS almost always suck.

Keanu Reeves' Dogstar, the Bacon Brothers, that super-crap emo group led by Jared Leto whose name escapes me but whose horrible music I will never shake.

The list goes on and on.

But actress Leisha Hailey was in a decent band, The Murmurs (later redubbed Gush), before her acclaimed role as Alice Pieszecki in the Showtime series "The L Word."

And she's continued to make music, too: Uh Huh Her is Hailey's latest project, a collaboration with singer, producer and multi-instrumentalist Camila Grey of Mellowdrone.

The best part is, Uh Huh Her doesn't stink. The duo breaks the actors-making-bad-music streak by combining the passion of PJ Harvey — whose B-side "Uh Huh Her" gave the group its name — with the soulful synth-pop of the Eurhythmics.

Last July, Hailey and Grey released their debut EP, "I See Red," featuring the underground and iTunes hit "Say So." On Aug. 19, Uh Huh Her will release its debut full-length, "Common Reaction" (Nettwerk), which builds on the EP's strengths: straight-up alterna-synth-pop rock. (Listen to the album here.)

Because Uh Huh Her walk the line between rock and electronica, we asked Hailey and Grey to give us two Express 5 lists: their best-loved synth-pop tunes and their favorite PJ Harvey songs.

The women Blackberried us their answers while on the road to their 9:30 Club concert on May 14.

EXPRESS 5 FAVORITE SYNTH-POP SONGS:

» "Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)," Eurythmics
Annie Lennox is the best there is.