I'm no fan of geographical stereotypes, residing as I do in the South. Though at a given point of cultural fascination, a band's locality may help them sell records (think Seattle, 1992), there's no guaranteeing they'll sound the way you want them to, as all those who bought Sub Pop albums on the off chance that the bands sounded like Nirvana can attest. We live in culture of near-universal ADD, where an 'it' band and a to-the-minute sound have a habit of disappearing from public consciousness with a vicious quickness. We get bored (raise your hand if you groan at the thought of another Chicago-based post-rock band), the music sounds passe (anyone remember the ska revival?), and in most of the above scenarios bands are trapped riding the coattails of the initial breakthrough act, hoping to catch some vicarious limelight before the fashion moment ends.
French Kicks originated out of a high school friendship in Washington, D.C., separated during college, and reunited in the not-too-distant past in New York City. By their location alone, their sound is about what you'd expect. If you've ever wondered what a J. Robbins partnership with the Strokes would sound like, your prayers have been answered, sort of. Some tracks, like the melodic, streamlined "When You Heard You" sound quite a bit like Burning Airlines. Some of the more uptempo songs, such as "Crying Just For Show" and "Right in Time" in particular, sound a lot like the Strokes. The Kicks also look a little like the Strokes, have a catchy name, and walk a stylistic path that places them somewhere between New Wave-influenced, radio friendly rock and roll and dissonant post-punk.
And the results aren't that bad, actually kind of tantalizing at times. Super-clean, methodical music undercut with spare keyboards and drummer/vocalist Nick Stumpf's self-conscious crooning. It seems like a recipe for at least marginal success, so long as the public fascination with this sort of thing doesn't fade into oblivion before One Time Bells has a chance to make the rounds.
But that said, I'm still not sure I like this album. It's not just a question of good songs and bad songs, though there are a few of each. The primary candidates for loser status are the two tracks ("Down Now" and "Close to Modern") in which the French Kicks venture into dangerous blue-eyed soul territory and come off sounding (unintentionally, I hope) like Hall and Oates. I admire the bravery required for including such eclectic material, and the harmonies are nice, guys, really pretty, but...
Likewise, I would recommend that French Kicks be wary of continuing in the vein of their opening track, "Wrong Side." It's poppy and polished, could be a candidate for rotation on MTV2, but it's a bit boring, like a slightly above-average bar band. Just listening to it makes me want to order a beer. (Note to Miller execs: The French Kicks would be ideal for one of your indie rock beer commercials. Much better than Smog. Smog doesn't make me want to party and drink MGD. I mean, I don't really drink Miller beer, but if I did, I would drink it to French Kicks.)
The New Wave-inspired numbers are a more interesting. "1985" (strictly speaking, it sounds a bit more like 1983, but no matter) fuses the French Kicks' fascination with early period Wire with an 80s pop sensibility. Like most of the songs on this album, there are elements here I really like-- the sparse guitar, the atmosphere-- but it's almost like they went back and tried to make the song more accessible after the fact. The harmonies don't fit, for one. The heavier guitars on the choruses sounds contrived. Seldom do I ever think music sounds patronizing, but it comes off like French Kicks are talented musicians who just don't trust their good instincts. Or maybe they can't decide what sort of band they want to be.
"One Time Bells," the title track, with its chiming guitars and consistent melody, is probably the album's best cut. In some ways, it best exemplifies their sound, without all the overt influences and identity crises. So, what I've come up with is this:
While better than some of their previous releases, One Time Bells still isn't a mind-blowing album. But I do think the French Kicks are a good band, and I won't be surprised if, an album or two down the road, they're a great one.
