"relax sweetie while you're still around"
The French Kicks have taken a step forward with The Trial of the Century, finding a new direction from their previous effort—a direction that is smooth, rolling, and extremely seductive. The music is upbeat, cool, and reserved—perfect for the cynical shoe-gazing hipster crowds who, as much as they might resist it, are going to have to learn to tap their feet again and give themselves up to the rhythm. Welcome to alt–Frank Sinatra.
The Trial of the Century opens with "One More Time," an ode that will quickly get under your skin, with confident, strong vocals and melodies that wash over and through you. This undercurrent of tight production, tight rhythm, and assured singing continues song after song after song. As the album moves along, you begin to notice harmonies throughout, adding quick and seamless changes, a bit of a doo-wop feel in places, and the ever-increasing nod to the new wave invasion of the early eighties.
"Oh Fine" relies on added echo, as if recorded in a warehouse, to give weight to its slinky, longing love poem. "The Falls" is a straightforward, building perfection of a song that just keeps coming, and it’s one of the first times you really begin to feel the band’s letting go. They retain a sublime tension during their songs, and you can feel your insides rising in time to the music, though they never quite let your wave crest—until "The Falls," by which time you are just begging them to.
Containing single after single, The Trial of the Century still manages to be a complete album that, by my reckoning, tells the tale of a relationship gone wrong. It’s like sitting by a train window and watching memories receding in the distance—with a soundtrack that’s both poignant and self-devouring. The songs are beautifully crafted, incorporating sweeping melodies both simple and layered to create music that haunts your mind and soothes your soul at the same time. You’re not alone—the French Kicks are crooning to you. Infectiously.