Je Suis France - Je Suis France (CD)

All Music Guide

An eclectic set taking various stops along the indie rock continuum, Je Suis France make nary a misstep on their self-titled debut. Whether weaving fluid guitar lines with slowly percolating bass and drums on instrumentals like "Sensitive Chris" or recalling the early days of post-punk with "I Can't Believe It, I Can Fly," Je Suis France seem to be on solid footing wherever they step. While not always breaking new ground, as much of the material could find reasonable comparisons on early Pavement albums, Je Suis France bypass by-the-numbers arrangements by injecting their own flavor via the occasional sour keyboard or disjointed melody. Certainly, the huge primitive groove of "Prussia" could almost be seen as an homage to White Light/White Heat-era Velvet Underground, had it not been built with a shout-along chorus. The churning echoes of "…before the 20th Century" fill the space allowed them and act as a fitting coda to a set that never grows too comfortable with itself, yet belies th...e self-assurance of the players involved. All in all, an effort which should fair favorably well when compared to the debuts of the indie rock elite. - Matt Fink, All Music Guide Read more Less