Written on
November 29, 2010 by
Dave in
Music
![2364 56905356789 56888811789 1907632 907 n [mp3] French Kicks](http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs027.snc1/2364_56905356789_56888811789_1907632_907_n.jpg "[mp3] French Kicks")
Scrolling through iTunes recently, I came back across one of my favorite (mostly)under-the-radar bands, a band easily among the most underrated of its era: French Kicks. The closest thing we have to The Walkmen without the accompanying fanfare, French Kicks seem to languor in obscurity. There are so many songs through their catalogue that are truly great, it was difficult to choose which I felt most representative of their quality, so I just chose a few favorites. Here is my little love letter to the band, wherever they may be.
French Kicks – Also Ran (mp3) from Two Thousand![[mp3] French Kicks](http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=tympanogram-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B000SY4QDU "[mp3] French Kicks")
French Kicks – Knee High (Daytrotter Session) (mp3)
French Kicks – Said So What (mp3) from Swimming![[mp3] French Kicks](http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=tympanogram-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B0019SYAC6 "[mp3] French Kicks")
We are big fans of what Sean Moeller does at Daytrotter. If you’re unaware of what the site is all about, allow us to give you a basic rundown: Sean brings artists and bands into his studio where they record 4 or 5 songs, which he subsequently puts up on the site for free. Some tracks have limited availability, but for the most part, the site is a treasure chest of alternate versions of songs from artists you already love.
I personally don’t utilize the site as much as I should. There’s a backlog of nearly 900 sessions, dating back to the start of 2006. Looking quickly, there are sets from bands ranging in scope from Death Cab for Cutie and Spoon to Cold War Kids (2 sessions!) and Vampire Weekend to people I’ve never even heard of. The site is well written, well drawn, and completely engrossing. Right now I’m into the session from Brazos, which was released back toward the end of January. The site is updated almost daily with new sessions, and we highly recommend you spend some time pouring through the extensive catalog. Let us be plain: you will find something you love.
Here are some of my favorite songs from the sessions I’ve collected.
Andrew Bird – Plasticities (Daytrotter Session) (mp3)
French Kicks – Knee High (Daytrotter Session) (mp3)
The Maccabees – First Love (Daytrotter Session) (mp3)
The girlfriend and I are heading to Maine next week for a much needed vacation, and as a result, I’m busy making a playlist for the drive there and back.
Making a playlist involves making a once through of my entire iTunes library, one page at a time, finding songs I like, and then going back through to fill in songs I missed on the first pass. This isn’t a particularly efficient method, I suppose – especially because I have surpassed 8,000 songs in my library – but it works.
With so many songs in my library, however, I am always re-intrigued by songs that have fallen out of favor because of overplay or time when I am scouring my collection. The making of this vacation playlist has been no different. Here are a couple gems that I’ve rediscovered this week for you to rediscover as well – or possibly discover them for the first time. I’ve only made it into ‘F’ so far, so I may do this again on Saturday depending on what I find.
Ellie Lawson – Down With You (mp3) from The Philosophy Tree
Dear and The Headlights – Sweet Talk (mp3) from Small Steps, Heavy Hooves
French Kicks – So Far We Are (mp3) from Two Thousand
