The Trial Of The Century

Attention, any of ye still distraught at the passing of Haircut 100 and A Flock Of Seagulls: hope is on the horizon! One of a multitude of NYC bands currently begging Strokes comparisons, French Kicks serve up sweet harmonies and hook-laden, synth-dominated, melodious pop that can be very amiable as long as you don’t expect too much depth from it. A polished little diamond, if a little on the sugar-heavy side, The Trial Of The Century (the FK’s third) showcases a band who’ve stumbled across a distinctive and engaging sound of their own, although they seem no more inclined to take chances with it than The Charlatans ever were: it’s all uptempo, lush, lilting, sweeping aural confectionery which frequently sounds extremely pretty.
If this seems disparaging, it’s not meant to: there are so many nominal pop acts who can’t play a note cluttering the landscape that anything like this has to be welcomed up to a point. Vocalist and drummer (!) Nick Stumpf genuinely sounds like a trained singer, his unerringly impressive grasp of melody (Orbison comparions have been made, though you won’t hear such sacrilege from me just yet) just about excusing a tendency to err on the side of fey cutesiness. The latter impression isn’t dispelled by the quartet’s faintly chilling MTV ‘handsomeness’, and over the course of 11 songs, the lack of variety becomes a mite disturbing, with suspicions of complacency invited by the LP’s slightly formulaic nature. The songs, though all edible enough, are barely distinguishable from one another, all careering towards harmonised neo-Spector choruses, so smooth, rich and flawless that Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark would have bowed their heads respectfully.
Essentially a killer FM-pop act who would do well to dispel delusions of anything weightier, French Kicks could maybe do with a little more adventure, but their capabilities aren’t in question.