French Goodness from Tahiti 80

TAHITI 80 will both benefit and be hindered by the success the last couple of years of PHOENIX. The comparisons are inevitable given that they are both French and play dance soaked rock with a little funk to them. But Tahiti 80 should be taken in their own right. Their latest record, "The Past, The Present, and The Possible", is a nice blend of Stereloab, New Order, disco and electronic music to create a highly unique sound. The opening drone of "Defender" takes a very basic guitar line and washes it with synths and drum machine beats to give the aforementioned Stereolab vibe. "Gate 33" tells the tale of a chance encounter with a rock star at an airport killing time. "Solitary Bizness" brings out their funkier side in an homage to early PRINCE. The extended version of "Crack Up" plays up the dance rhythms and almost has a HAPPY MONDAYS feel to it.

I'm not sure how much shelf life the record will have for me over time but the initial first listens reveal a band comfortable moving around within their influences and playing with the sound enough to make them interesting. At the very least, it's a dancey good time.

(mp3) Tahiti 80 -- Defender

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Seventeen Evergreen Iron & Wine Thomas Tantrum Memphis