Album Reviews

Among the glut of New York rock earlier this decade, The French Kicks stood out in perhaps a more unassumingly traditional yet no less legitimate way—by writing fine songs. The debut album One Time Bells and its preceding EPs were crisp, and full of choppy guitars. The 2006 album Two Thousand, however, found the band focusing on their pop hooks and crafting more accessible songs, while not abandoning the influence of their garage rock peers and forebears, but refining them into something a little less abrasive. That trend continues on Swimming, an album packed with a willingness to take risks in both directions.

The band says that most of the songs on the album are the result of first or second takes, and that’s easy to believe; it’s neither overpackaged, overthought or over-recorded. Rather than focusing on the raw power of '60s and '70s garage bands, Swimming borrows more from left-field pop bands, like The Kinks and T. Rex. The album is full od unexpected and rewarding flourishes: the sinewy guitar on “Atlanta,” the high-pop grandeur combination of handclaps and strings, married to the jaggy rock-and-rollisms on “Abandon,” and the joyous riffery of “Carried Away.”

For a band putting out quality albums at the rate of every other year—this release being their fourth studio abum—The French Kicks have been able to tap into their energy, exploit their creativity in all its different streams, and maintain their momentum. The result of their efforts is Swimming, a pleasant and cohesive album from a band that could have easily fallen into rock'n'roll pigeonholes like most of their NYC rock brethren, but that thankfully hasn't.

—Chris Hassiotis
05.21.08