XOXO
C’est La Vie
24 Hour Service Station; 2009
In case you’ve never figured it out from reading these reviews of mine, I’m a big sucker for bright, up-tempo indie-pop, especially the kind that revels in its liberal use of piano riffs and harmony vocals. Thus, I have immediately fallen in love with XOXO, as this band from the Sunshine State makes brilliant sunshine music. C’est La Vie follows in the footsteps of Superdrag and early Weezer (complete with hefty nods to Matt Sharp’s work in The Rentals), but XOXO manages to defy easy genre classification, much like Florida compatriots Look Mexico or Houston, TX residents Spain Colored Orange.
Simply put, this music compels you to dance, jump, pogo, and/or bounce about with gleeful abandon. The guitars crunch along with a garage/punk-like intensity, but the banged-out chord progressions on the piano and Moog-y synth lines, when merged with the clear, fresh-faced vocal work, give this band quite the cheery personality. Using “Fly, Superman, Fly,” “Life… In General,” and “Merry Times” as key examples, the songs of C’est La Vie are rather charming, without being saccharine, as the band gives off a winsome, knowing smirk and smile.
This album finds a band reaching for the stars with wide eyes and big smiles, but with its collective feet planted firmly on the ground. The big indie-pop textures at play here manage to sound fresh, hip, and relevant without coming across with any flavor-of-the-month aftertaste – XOXO is not taking its cues from Portland or Brooklyn. Kind of like a musical Goldilocks, C’est La Vie has the right amount of ambition, style, and swagger the sort that should carry this band further on and higher up in the musical landscape.
August 11th, 2009 10:06