French Kicks

On their sophomore full length, the French Kicks braid tripartite influences of new wave, power pop and IDM for an affable, if not memorable, result. The production by Doug Boehm affords the band a much-needed dissimilarity between other Brooklyn 1980s fetishists by softening up the edges with synth patches and reverb and giving the songs a slickly glossy finish. And though most of the tunes here float along at a pleasant clip, "You Could Not Decide" and the brisk opener, "One More Time," hint at how sophisticated the band has become.

When these Brooklyn-based Washington, D.C., transplants debuted in 2001, they seemed
driven to make catchy pop out of their hometown's angular post-punk. A few chai lattes
and one full-length album later, they have segued into moody, atmospheric New Wave. On
The Trial of the Century, joyful keyboards frolic behind drummer-frontman Nick Stumpf's
sliding falsetto, as the band cultivates a kicky, melancholic throb. As with most c... More >