Brooklyn – French Style Furs’ roster rolls together three industry veterans, and the product is both entirely unexpected and deeply intriguing. The newfound group showcases Cold War Kids’ frontman Nathan Willet and bassist Matt Maust, joined by We Barbarian’s percussionist Nathan Warketin. The first full-length album from this group, Is Exotic Bait, is slated for release on July 8th via Frenchkiss Records.
The men of French Style Furs invited a variety of collaborators to the making of this record, with sterling results. Percussionist Stephen Hodges (Tom Waits, David Lynch) lends his hand drum skills to the bass-heavy “Solitary Life.” On “Bloodstream” and on “Man the Master,” we hear guest vocals from Haley Dekle (Dirty Projectors), as well as Zina and Marika Dahlin. The album’s more orchestral tracks, like “Clairvaux Prison,” are backed by horn arrangements courtesy of Nick Kinsey and Wyndham Boylan-Garnett (Elvis Perkins in Dearland).
Finally, the group chose Nick Launay to produce the album – the talented composer and recording engineer best known for his work with Arcade Fire, Nick Cave and Yeah Yeah Yeah’s.
When the band began working together last winter, Willet’s sensibilities were consumed by a book of poetry by the 20th century monk Thomas Merton. Much of Merton’s thoughts on social justice, pacifism, and the bedrock beliefs of Eastern religions weave their way into the lyricism that spans the ten-track record.
The album opens on a modest yet melodic horn section that dissolves into a triad of equally weighted vocal, bass and percussive arrangements. The aptly titled track, “3 Friends,” paints a graduated portrait of material and metaphysical detachment, boldly broaching enlightenment against a backdrop of cascading rock melodies. This duality holds true for the duration of the album; French Style Furs somehow explores spiritual territory through a hard rock lens, and the work at large projects a tenacious questioning that’s both quietly valuable and overtly gritty.
At times, this record reaches inspiring peaks. “Turn or Burn,” for example, feels like a deterministic mantra bathed in floodlight style optimism. “Miami U R About 2 B Surprised,” however, swerves the record’s tone down a darkened alleyway where the brightness of revelation is much less visible.
Arguably, the most striking element of the album is Willet’s voice, which is inimitable and shaped Cold War Kid’s persona. Although listeners might invariably liken this album to their previous efforts, French Style Furs finds ways to repurpose talents. Even if the album plays through like a Cold War Kids record with an Instagram filter, the work is a snapshot of an entirely different landscape.
Clearly, depth of thought is the backbone of this album. While the thematic complexity is not lost on listeners, some of the tracks on IEB suffer from a hyper busy, almost manic side effect of French Style Furs’ mystic diagnostics. A tad more minimalism might have infused the album with more universal accessibility. But the reverse argument is equally valid: that this album wasn’t made with mass appeal in mind, and that therein lies its success.
The band has only one show on the books- July 9th at Rough Trade in Brooklyn. While we wait for more opportunities to witness this act in person, set aside some time to absorb IEB in all its shimmering glory.
Liz Rowley
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