So how does one describe The King Of France? I could make a feeble attempt, citing references of Brian Wilson, Frank Black and the Violent Femmes, but it would still not come close to the uniquely refreshing pop found on their self-titled debut album. The group began when frontman Steve Salad moved to NYC back in 2002. He performed as leader of Deformo, as well as the guitarist for the Kelly Deal 6000. Salad soon met veteran music journalist Michael Azerrad, who began making what they referred to as improv pop. The results of these spontaneous musical experiments developed into the toe-tapping gems that make up their album. Rather than focusing on following musical trends, trying to stay cooler than everybody else, Salad and Azerrad create music that is definitely their own, yet it maintains a somewhat familiar quality. The album begins with the bouncy, piano-driven “Mexico”, which shows Salad’s ability to go from nervous warble to deep croon at the drop of a hat. King Of France are more than just a pop-rock song writing machine, slowing things down a bit with “The Beast”. This one shows a band with some serious chops, creating a song with some serious depth while sticking to their vocal/guitar/piano/drums formula. Salad then pulls out one of the finest songs of their repertoire, “Moon”, with a chorus that sneaks up behind you, which will loop endlessly in your head for days. The pop treats continue with “White Confection”, “Watch Out For The Man”, and my favorite on the disc “Future Killer”. The real charm of this record is the honesty of their music. The King Of France are making music that they believe in, rather than simply dishing out more rubbish that the music industry deems popular. The result is an album filled with refreshing pop that will grow on you, starting out as stranger but will end up as your new best friend.
The King Of France
Echo / World’s Fair
