Fol Chen

Though framed in an electro-pop context, there's truly a lot of music appreciation running through Fol Chen's new record, as they absorb different influences to conjure their unique brand of retro-'80s tones and sentimentality. In some cases, the hooks and grooves are just undeniable, such as the sugary sway of "No Wedding Cake," which follows the comparably more involved rhythm exploration of "The Believers." Indeed, there's some heady, Beatles-oriented psychedelic folk traipsing around this record, and songs like "You and Your Sister in Jericho" suggest that such forays are as well thought out as any one of the ass-shakers. It's such songs that reveal Fol Chen's interest in dynamic noise and voices, the kind of additives that cause the adamantly child-cheery march of "Red Skies Over Garden City" to recall Deerhoof, while "Winter, That's All" is the inadvertent, borderline obnoxious child of Metric and MSTRKRFT. Fol Chen's culture pop on Part I: John Shade, Your Fortune's Made will prove fascinating for any serious music fan.