French Kicks: Not Just Another Band from New York
Wednesday 04 September @ 10:53:41 |
 by Celeste Tabora
When I told a friend of mine recently that I was writing an article about New York’s French Kicks, he sounded curious. I proceeded to give him the facts about the band: (Drummer/vocalist) Nick Stumpf and Matt Stinchcomb (guitar and vocals) have played together since middle school in Washington D.C.; but it was after attending Oberlin College in Ohio that they relocated to Brooklyn, with friend (and original French Kicks bass player) Jamie Krents. They launched French Kicks in 1998 after meeting Alabama native Josh Wise, who plays keyboards and guitar. Following the release of their self-titled debut EP and the follow-up, Young Lawyer, they went on the road for several months with Nick’s brother Lawrence Stumpf replacing Jamie on bass.
My friend nodded, “Yeah, they’re cool… Like, The Strokes are too dumbed-down for me, you know? That’s why I love the French Kicks.” I chuckled, but his statement is telling. Though clearly putting forth a smarter sound, The French Kicks have faced comparison with the many of the other up and coming garage-rock-influenced bands from New York.
Drummer/vocalist Nick Stumpf agrees that “there certainly is a campaign on to lump New York bands together.” He sees both side of the issue, though: “It’s limiting, I think, on the imagination of someone who hasn’t heard us before. But if for some reason it sparks someone’s curiosity about us, then that’s fine. We’ve been compared to literally everything we can think of. Sometimes there’s validity to it, and sometimes we don’t understand it at all. I know that many writers feel the need to do that, and feel they have provided an incomplete picture without it. In our case it is most often limiting, or even misleading.”
As with most bands, The French Kicks greatest worry is that they will be pigeonholed: that easy-to-come-by labels will lead to easy interpretations of the music. “The record is designed to grow on you and reveal new things with repeated listens,” Stumpf asserts. “Occasionally someone will describe it imaginatively, and without reference to genres or scenes or other bands, and those [reviews] are our rare favorites.”
And Stumpf is right, you know. They don’t sound anything like the energy-compromising Yeah Yeah Yeahs, or the rambunctious Liars, or the catchy and much-hyped Strokes. The French Kicks do, however, belong in the same musical family as the those other bands—if only insamuch as they all produce quality rock and roll.
After just a few months of writing and rehearsing, the French Kicks came forth as one of New York’s most vital and exciting bands. Their performances earned them a devout following. But what makes their sound so distinctive? Is it their swooning three-part harmonies? Nick’s ability to use his snake-drumming skills while preforming vocal duties as well? (It looks as difficult to pull off as it is to describe!) Or is it the mix of Garage-New Wave-Mod rock performed with a Punk spirit?
Nick cracks a joke in reply to the question, but he eventually admitts: “I hope that when the songs appeal to someone, all the elements get blamed equally. We spend a lot of time editing and paring things down to what we feel are their essentials, and also coming up with the perfect little ornament or sound to catch your ear and your curiosity. It’s pop music, but it’s meant to be interesting...Interesting and catchy at the same time.”
The French Kicks may be the most mature of their oft-compared lot. They’ve progressed from the catchy, towering, and blistering songs that filled their first EP, White, and the follow up, Young Lawyer. Their latest release, One Time Bells, has a smoother sound. Not letting go of their angular and artsy vision, it summons the 60’s era British Rock that drew from Soul and R & B, giving the ‘Kicks a developed, more experienced sound.
In comparison to their past efforts, Stumpf says, the new record is “different in some ways and similar in others. It’s certainly recorded differently.”
Stumpf makes it sound so simple, “The idea on the new one was to have things sound just like they would if you were standing in the room; natural and realistic but slightly louder.”
In the studio, this time around, The French Kicks played with combining fake drums with real drums for the first time. “The idea of playing along with electronic drums is that there are some human, rhythmic variations, or slips, but with really precise machine-generated sounds,” explains Stumpf. “We try to wrestle the best possible sounds out of the [musical equipment] we’ve been able to afford. It’s well-chosen stuff, and we like it a lot—especially when it’s working.
All in all, The French Kicks seem like your normal rock and roll band. They enjoy making music and they like the responsibilities of touring. Stumpf explains: “We all generally like it. It’s a skill, like being in the army, I imagine, and we’ve gotten pretty good at it.” The French Kicks have gone all over the U.S. many times. And, since Alan McGee’s post-Creation label, Poptones, released the Young Lawyer mini-album, they’ve even had several well-received tours of the U.K. Sounds like a band on tthe road to success. Says a proud Stumpf, “We’re not ashamed of anything we’ve done.”
French Kicks performs with French Kick and Volante on Sat., Sept 7 in the 7th St. Entry. 5 p.m. $8/$10. All ages. The 7th St. Entry, 701 First Ave. N., Mpls. 612-338-8388.
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