Pas Chic Chic

Trippy francophone pop purveyors Pas Chic Chic conjure a tilted landscape of sound on Au Contraire, a bold debut with strains of avant-garde musical elements battling for space within the heady compositions. The swooping, orchestral Farfisas and Mellotrons, hints of musique concrete and drably unassuming production might suggest otherwise but, make no mistake, Pas Chic Chic are a pop band. While Godspeed You! Black Emperor/Fly Pan Am member Roger Tellier-Craig buries his romantic vocals on "Haute Infidélité” and "Tes Clichés Déclenchés,” the buoyant interplay of guitars and strong, inventive rhythms propel these songs into an exhilarating realm. When vocalist Marie-Douce chimes in to converse with Tellier-Craig on "En Chaine Et En Vogue,” the record begins to lift off, and the fresh, daunting sonic capabilities of Pas Chic Chic come to the forefront. There’s great tension on "Vous Comprenez Pourquoi” and the surreally, Beatles-like glum march of "Brise Méprise,” where Pas Chic Chic choke the staleness out of psychedelia and revive its artful core on Au Contraire.