Balbec - Rise And Fall Of A Decade

Long-time Parisian outfit Balbec somehow manage to sidestep the cutesty nature of many lo-fi pop contemporaries. Their guy-gal vocals work well, especially on the questionably-titled How To Achieve God-Like Status. The female vocals, akin to the pleasantly accented English of Nina Persson, float into counterpart harmonies over the scuzz of rhythm guitar and complimentary melodic lead parts. The record has a light-hearted feel of a collective, collaborative approach, guitar parts on nodding to The Shins and the verse of Saturday Nights perhaps recollecting The Smiths. Whilst longer cuts, such as Speechless and closing semi-ballad Nova, could feel a little drawn out, surprisingly inventive pop-rock drums underline the coquettish lyrical delivery and, if you like good indie-pop, then it might just work. Maybe the French are just cooler than us. Going by the talents of bands like Papier Tigre, Gâtechien and pretty much every actress ever to come out of the joint, it seems plausible. [Lauren Mayberry]