French Kicks
"One Time Bells" CD
StarTime
Internatinal
Genres: indie rock, indie pop
StarTime
285 5th Ave. PMB #452
Brooklyn, NY 11215
June 9 - 16 2002 |
French Kicks isn't about
kicking the French. Nor is it about the French kicking anyone. But enough
about what it isn't, what is it? French
Kicks is an indie rock band. Quite an interesting one, actually. They boast a
very unique style, combining traditional pop elements with discordant, almost spasmodic
guitar chords. Despite the connotations of "spasmodic", though, this album
is not thrashing or powerful. In fact, it's deceptively mellow - calm, yet intense;
relaxing, yet edgy. It is clear that French Kicks have their own style, and that is
certainly an accomplishment in today's indie scene. However, the band's formula
doesn't work all the time, and, as a result, a few of the tracks on "One Time
Bells" fail.
First of all, it must be said that there are a lot of
good tracks on this album. The best song of all, quite clearly, is "Where We
Went Off". A soft little charmer, it shows its true beauty on the very first
listen, featuring a chorus that just works perfectly. The band consiciously keeps
their signature discordance at a minimum, and the track flows beautifully as a result.
"Sunday Night Is Fair" works similarly, as well, winning you over with
its sensitive guitar strokes. "Wrong Side" is somewhat different,
introducing itself as a sixties-influenced rock romp and then slowly throwing in some
offkey guitar chimes to mix things up. However, the piece holds up well, and the
chimes are used effectively, lending the song its own style.
For all the good, though, some of French Kicks' songs
don't work as well. "Crying Just For Show" doesn't ever seem to come
together properly, and you may find yourself skipping over "Close To Modern" on
repeated listens.
However, it's clear that the good outnumbers the band on
this album, and it is, altogether, a mighty fine listen. If you want some indie rock
that's got it's own style, you may want to give "One Time Bells" a try.
I'm sure glad I did.
87%
Matt Shimmer |