For avant-popsters Fol Chen, there's some truth in the old adage about the company you keep. The masked, anonymous California six-piece recently spent some time on the road supporting Liars, even going so far as to help fortify that outfit during their manic set. And any crew that has the freak-out chops to roll with those dudes must have some bizarro tricks of their own. But even if Fol Chen subscribe to a quirkier, more restrained brand of weird than their collaborative pals, it's this kindred aesthetic that helps them stand out and occasionally impress, as a good portion of their sophomore effort Part II: The New December is able to do with a series of rhythmically obtuse tracks that uncover patches of contorted funk and whimsical pop.
The opening one-two punch of "The Holograms" and single "In Ruins" is a great attention grabber, homing in on the more subdued elements that presided over their debut Part I: John Shade, Your Fortune's Made and giving them a hooky overhaul. You get a sense that Fol Chen have a weakness for harboring clutter, but they do so in a way that clearly demonstrates some kind of control, as samples and right-brained instrumentation fit almost robotically into specific places. This approach is also likely responsible for the out-and-out pop looks a lot of The New December digs into. Like outcasted members of Prince's Revolution, "In Ruins" spins and thumps deliriously in ways that wouldn't feel out of step with either a really leftfield Christina Aguilera single or a clattering Deerhoof tune.
But The New December's weakness is being unable to relocate the momentum of its opening songs. Subsequent tracks like the sparse, vaguely loungey "Your Curtain Call" and the sinister "This Is Where the Road Belongs" have intriguing details but ultimately end up just kind of wandering all over the place. And most of the hushed, ethereal tracks are too committed to understatement, they simply often drag.
Save for goofed-out R&B jam "C/U", most of the material feels a little flat without the movement of the standout moments or the exotic vibes that the slighter, meandering pieces contain. Had Fol Chen made good on those early impulses to really boost The New December's kinky eccentricities, it wouldn't have been much of a surprise to find it making serious inroads with new listeners. Though it ultimately only warrants selective revisiting, it certainly doesn't mean we aren't curious to see how Part III might work out.
