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Album Review

Everybody Was In The French Resistance…Now
Fixing The Charts Volume 1 Cooking Vinyl

Article written by Ged M - Feb 25, 2010

Everybody Was In The French Resistance…Now

Eddie Argos’ blog lists eight bands that he’s currently in but Art Brut might be facing some competition as his top priority given the quality of his new album with Dyan Valdes of the Blood Arm as Everybody Was In The French Resistance…Now! The band title and Casablanca-inspired cover give the impression of amusing side project or pisstake, but when you’ve heard the tracks you may agree that it’s a serious (and seriously good) indiepop record. Argos employs much irony and humour in his songs but there’s often a kernel of truth at the heart of the situation he portrays. Although the track which uses the band name as a hook (‘Creeque Allies’) takes an ‘Allo ‘Allo approach to history (“the Nazi occupation/ was an awkward situation”), the lyrics also work as a tribute of sorts to the French resistance, while 'G.I.R.L.F.R.E.N (You Know I've Got a)') is a funny but biting response to Avril Lavigne’s concept of sisterhood.

Notionally the songs all respond in some way to other songs (mostly well-known but, in the case of The Archies, wilfully obscure). Instead of simplistic parodies, Eddie and Dyan start riffing on the originals as inspiration for songs that stand up in their own right. Take 'Billie's Genes', a sequel to the Michael Jackson song: this is Disco Argos, accompanied by beats and Valdes’ mean keyboard riffs, that has the pain of the abandoned child delivered with a black humour. The reply to Kanye West’s ‘Gold Digger’ has tinkling keyboards and a classic indiepop chorus, and shares the typical Art Brut concern about getting older without getting a proper job.

Being apart from Art Brut (and his other six bands) has given Argos the freedom to play around with a bigger palette. From fast and febrile punk-pop (‘Superglue’) to the call-and-response girl group style of ‘He’s a “Rebel”’ and the borrowings from Motown, there’s a huge variety to the sound. Credit for that is down to Valdes, whose co-vocals and variegated keyboard styles complement Argos better than anyone I’ve heard. It seems to have brought out the best in Eddie too. Vocals are typically Argosian but more moderated in this line up; he’ll never be a conventional singer but his voice suits his confessional lyrics very well.

In case you’re unconvinced, try 'Walk Alone' as a taster. You might have thought that a response to Gerry & the Pacemakers (and Rogers and Hammerstein, and the Liverpool Kop) could only be parodic but Argos/ Valdes create something anthemic and authentic to finish the record. It begins defiantly but ends desperately as he sings “it’s OK to walk alone” as if trying to convince himself it’s true, slinging in all sorts of cultural references (Stallone, Herzog, Coppola) that ground his songs in a recognisable present. I could live without the Frank Sinatra riposte ('My Way (Is Not Always The Best Way)') but the rest of the songs are pure gold. Their colleagues in Art Brut and the Blood Arm had better not bank on seeing them soon.

Links:
http://the-eddie-argos-resource.blogspot.com/
http://www.myspace.com/fixingthecharts

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