French Kicks

I've been waiting for Two Thousand, the new album from the French Kicks, ever since I heard their last one, Trial of the Century. It will officially hit stores next Tuesday, and though it doesn't quite live up to my hopes, it's still a good time.

The opening track "So Far We Are" is a great start to the album. It hooks you in, just like "One More Time" from Trial of the Century. Unfortunately, Two Thousand shares another characteristic with its predecessor: many of the following songs run together and sound pretty much the same. It's entirely possible that the new album will grow on me, but it's not the instant classic I had hoped for. The only other standout track from the first few listens is "England Just Will Not Let You Recover." It's a laid back midtempo track, but I'm a sucker for the "ooh-oooh"s and the piano hook.

Trial of the Century was a huge change in sound and direction for the French Kicks, and it gained them tons of well-deserved critical praise. Sadly, the new album doesn't do very much to build on the potential they've shown. It's a fun little indie pop record to throw on during a nice summer drive, but the band hasn't acheived the pop perfection they seemed capable of.

Listen:
French Kicks - So Far We Are
French Kicks - Also Ran
French Kicks - England Just Will Not Let You Recover
French Kicks - One More Time

Buy Two Thousand