French Style Furs Hang Exotic Bait

At first blush, French Style Furs comes across as another contemporary indie band attempting to channel the briefly abused sub genre of New Wave pop-rock that emerged in the late seventies. But the more you dig into their debut, the three-piece proves there is something bigger happening under the hood.

For starters, French Style Furs isn't an upstart but a side project launched by Nathan Willett and Matt Maust (both of Cold War Kids) and their long-time friend Nathan Warketin (We Barbarians). And, more importantly, they stick more to the darker and arty post-punk than the idealist synth pop that overtook it by the late eighties (and indirectly created the need for grunge to refresh rock and roll).

In remaining true to the ethos of complex written music and lyrics, French Style Furs creates a tapestry of richly moody and occasionally agitated songs aptly titled Is Exotic Bait. In doing so, they meld experiences from their respective bands, reboot a largely vintage sound, and carve out a new identity.

Is Exotic Bait by French Style Furs shakes up some spontaneous creative urgency. 

The crux of the creative brainstorm was to use the poetry of Thomas Merton as the lyrics. The idea came from Willett, who has maintained a long-time fascination with the mystic and monk. He is well known for his writings on social justice, pacifism, and comparative religion. Willett was especially interested into his thoughts on Eastern religion, but Merton wrote about many topics as a writer and poet.

It is the sense of mysticism, perhaps, that gives the album a murky grayness at times. Turn Or Burn is one of them. There is brooding, contemplative quality to the track as it rolls along with a restrained intensity that some Cold War Kids fans will find immediately familiar.


Perhaps what is even more interesting to me is that Willett didn't even drop in the lyrics until after Maust and Warkentin had laid down bass and drum tracks. He showed up with a large book of poems and the trio began spontaneously bringing the varied elements together and recording it all as they went.

Along with their own work, they also invited Stephen Hodges (Tom Waits) to play percussion on Solitary Life; Haley Dekle (Dirty Projectors), Zina, and Marika Dahlin to raise the reach of Man the Master and Bloodstream, and Nick Kinsey and Wyndham Boylan-Garnett (Elvis Perkins in Dearland) to fill out Clairvaux Prison with some unique horn arrangements.

Clairvaux Prison, which closes the album, crosses social commentary with a sense of self-exiled isolation. It also bears the name of a historical monastery that was rebuilt into a high-security prison.

While not everything on the album slow burns and smolders, one of the biggest standout tracks is Miami U R About To Be Surprised, which creates a sort of intellectual seduction as it plays out in swirling curls of smoke. It's an artistically wrought thought piece with some beautifully hypnotic foreshadowing. You'll also find the title lyrics tucked deep inside.

Other standouts from this addictive abstract include the faster paced and upbeat opener 3 Friends, the frantic musical collage of All The Way Down, the staccato fuzz of (World In My) Bloodstream, and wildly captivating vocals and swaying horns that come together tightly in Solitary Life. While all of these tracks reside on the top of the album, Is Exotic Bait isn't all front loaded.

Turn Or Burn rounds out the bottom half, along with the sparsely decorated beat-driven commentary of Man The Master. Some of the other tracks like Ambassadors Of General Electric and Christmas Card don't have the same chemistry even if they are kind of snappy. What they deliver to the album instead is another dimension to what almost feels like a happy accident at times.

Is Exotic Bait By French Style Furs Snakes Around 7.9 On The Liquid Hip Richter Scale. 

Another talent that deserves props on the album is producer Nick Launay. He has long been known for his production work with talents like Nick Cave and the Yeah Yeah Yeahs. He does an exquisite job bringing in lessons learned from both early influencers.

Otherwise, the only other bonus worth mentioning is that Maust created the cover art. If you are unfamiliar with his art, make it a point to check it out. It will give you another reason beyond his bass to love his work.

Is Exotic Bait by French Style Furs is available from Amazon. It also dropped on iTunes for anyone who wants to download it there. You can also find the vinyl LP of Is Exotic Bait by French Style Furs on Barnes & Noble.

Crocodiles Make Noise Pop In California

Although the San Diego-based pop noise band came together in 2008, core members Charles Rowell and Brandon Welchez met better than a decade before. Even as teenagers, they had similar interests.

To hear Welchez tell it, they wanted to play music and change the world. Both of them hung out around at the same music scenes. Both of them were political enough to make rallies and protests a pastime. And eventually, after drifting in and out of the same or similar crowds, both of them started volunteering at a local club at the University of California, San Diego.

Hanging out and volunteering at the same venue is how they got to know each other. Although they were playing in different punk bands, they began laying the ground work for the future. First Welchez tried to recruit Rowell to his band and then just decided to break up both bands and start anew.

The Crocodiles are really a duo with guests and sometimes members. 

Even when the Crocodiles started booking gigs in support of their fourth release, Crimes Of Passion, they started as a duo. But things have slowly changed. They've since added bass, drums, and keyboards with musicians sometimes including members from Blank Dogs, Cat Power, and the Dum Dum Girls helping out.

The latter is no surprise, of course. Welchez is married to Kristin Gundred, a.k.a. Dee Dee Penny. And he used to play with the Dum Dum Girls too. It's not even uncommon to see the bands on the same bill.

When Welchez and Rowell aren't playing live, they are more likely to pull in guests on album. And they recruited several this time. Gregg Foreman (Delta 72), Cat Power, Josh Welchez, and Afrodyete (Breakestra) all make appearances. Given how often Welchez and Dee Dee Penny support other bands, it's not hard.

What is hard sometimes is seeing the Crocodiles give their album a fair shake across the entire length of it, which is why the band usually lands on my almost reviewed list. This time is an exception. I Like It In The Dark was too good to let it go unnoticed.


The song does a great job selling everyone on a zealous noise pop groove with gospel backing only to fade out for something unexpected. Welchez keeps going with a haunting bit of verse belted out like a beatnik poet. It almost feels like it isn't supposed to be there. It doesn't make sense; I'm glad it's there.

The balance of the album is equally eccentric but also more hit and miss. There are some great turmoil-laced songs like Gimme Come Annihilation and Me And My Machine Gun. But then there are simmering noise pop numbers like She Splits Me Up and Heavy Metal Clouds. They don't roll right, especially with one sporting a borrowed melody.

Teardrop Guitar makes for better brevity while Un Chant D'Amour sweeps in with the right stuff for atmospheric finish. It's sometime during that song when you wonder how you landed here from something much more punk like Cockroach. That's what makes the Crocodiles work. They have a distinct sound and still manage to drift from one extreme to the next.

Crimes Of Passion By The Crocodiles Smiles 4.8 On The Liquid Hip Richter Scale. 

The album isn't anywhere near perfect and doesn't try too hard to be original. But what Crimes Of Passion does exceedingly well is break new ground for a band that is easier to appreciate when you see them live. Some might even say a live album would do them right, even if Sune Rose Wagner (The Raveonettes) was a benefit as producer.

Crimes of Passion by the Crocodiles is available on Amazon. You can also find the album on iTunes or order the CD from Barnes & Noble. The band has been busy touring all over Europe. Maybe they will have time to kick out a video when they get home. In the meantime, check their schedule on Facebook.