The
Noise
June 2003, Issue #232
FRANCINE
Q Division
28 Plastic Blue Versions of Endings Without You
13 songs
The Beatles stylishly merged show tunes, blues, folk-based skiffle, C&W,
Motown, and anything else which fell under their eclectic purview into some
of the best music of the mid to late '60s. At about the same time, the Velvet
Underground helped weaned rock from its hapless dependence on blues-based forms;
still later, Pink Floyd and other psychedelic bands, as well as their short-lived
bubblegum successors, used studio effects to mutate those blues-based forms
about as far as they could go. Certain new wave bands such as XTC were profoundly
influenced by these models. The folks in Francine appear to be well aware of
their predecessors and proceed accordingly. Listening to their music is like
entering a mirror-world in which familiar conventions are recognizable but inverted
and subtly distorted at the same time. These strange, inimitably beautiful songs
are unforgettably haunting. All of them are distinct and 12 of the 13 are brilliant.
(I don't much care for "Uninstall"). On the whole, this CD makes me
proud to be living in 2K3. (by Francis DiMenno)