FRENCH KICKS
SWIMMING

Swimming (Vagrant) is an appropriate title for this record, which feels like underwater rock, with a swooping chorus and shuffle drums. French Kicks score with this one; it's a nice record to put on and watch cars go by.

The French Kicks (of NYC) sound like a modded version of The Cure, tricked out with more pop sense. The album hits one note and pretty much sticks with it; songs that kind of glide along in their melancholy, smoothly moving up and down in intensity. Although tracks like "Carried Away" bring it up to a kind of tame happiness, most of the album is fodder for contemplation and reminiscing about your favorite something or other. It still jumps and moves on certain tracks, like "Atlanta," which opens with a funky drum beat and some voice-over soft guitar riffing. When the vocals come in, we're swimming again.

"The Way You Arrive" might be the only track that almost sounds like it's not quite swimming... it's more like flying or something. It seems to soar above the rest of the albums relatively floaty tunes, swapping the easy riffs for a driving guitar.

If you like deceptive cadences and post-punk ambient vocals, buy this record. If you are looking for something else, "This Could Go Wrong." -joe puglisi