Thursday, September 30, 2010

French Kicks Release Covers EP


Update: Uhhh it seems that I have the inability to read dates properly and that I'm actually two years too late on this one. Damnit, that's what I get for blogging on a bus. Anyways, burning embarrassment aside these are damn good tracks.

I’ve been following French Kicks for a while now, and with each new release I’ve yet to be disappointed. On their latest two year old digital EP release, Covers, these Brooklyn based Indie rockers have taken a stab at covering some pretty heady bands ranging from The Ramones, the Zombies, the Shirelles, and Lindsey Buckingham.

In lead singer Nick Stumpf’s own words, “We’ve always loved the Beach Boys’ Party! record where the Beach Boys went into a studio room with some friends and played really loose and live, mainly cover songs, and then put it out … We don’t have any friends, in this case, but the spirit is the same. With the exception of “Trouble,” which was recorded at the same time as the songs on the record and has overdubs, everything is completely live, and a few we figured out how to play on the spot just before we recorded them.”

The EP is stunning. They’ve managed to add their own unique sound to these classic songs. Their trademark sound – the extraordinary interplay between piano and guitar chords that are simultaneously jubilant and melancholy while Stumpf’s dreamily wistful vocals suffuse their music with an eerie charm. Or as Stereogum so aptly called it “post punk for cocktail hour.”

In short, they make perfect Indie pop music. More please.

Listen to Trouble from the Covers EP and my personal favorite tune from their last album, Sex Tourists.

French Kicks - Trouble by Aesthetes Anonymous

French Kicks - Sex Tourists by Aesthetes Anonymous

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