-valis Pick of the Week

Hail Voyagers! Welcome to the New Year, and our first Pick of the Week: from Athens, Georgia: French Exit! Their new album, Jerk Store, is out via Cloud Records.

Led by AJ Griffin, (of Circulatory System/Olivia Tremor Control, as well as one-off [?] Laminated Cat,)French Exit also includes Steve Hendriksen, Evan Amburn, and Derek Almstead. Given AJ's CV you wouldn't be too far wrong in thinking you know what you're getting going into this listening experience. Fair enough. I'm here to tell you, despite all you think you know, you'll come out of the experience wanting to hit repeat and do it all over again. And again. Whilst Beatlesque is strewn throughout the various reviews -and they're not wrong, for me AJ funnels it all through a Sean O'Hagan-like The High Llamas filter, (circa Cold & Bouncy,) via The Idle Race. Perhaps upon reflection it's the overarching playfulness of the music on offer here in this debut which leads me to the prior references. Like The High Llamas there's the unexpected squiggles and bleeps which come in at the perfect time and are never overused to the detriment of the song. Vocally is where I'm reminded of Jeff Lynne's Idle Race. I'll post a couple of tracks as examples and you can judge for yourself. Me, I recommend. Highly.





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You can listen to the archived stream here; or, hear it this Friday, on The Dead Man's Turn Me On, Dead Man show on Live365, where it's heard every Friday at noon eastern time, as well as Dogs Got A Bone out of Edinburgh, Scotland, from 10pm to midnight, Mondays, U.K. time, (adjust accordingly,) on Belter Radio.