Os Noctàmbulos – Stranger (Stolen Body Records, 2016)

Just in time for Fête Nationale, this Parisian garage psych quartet’s sophomore album offers accessible, guitar-driven pop tunes with an angular, jingly-jangly edge. They’ve been together for three years and are as tight as a monkey’s bum, with excellent musicianship throughout.

     Guitarists Nick Wheeldon and Valentin Buchens serpentine around each other to create an awesome wall of (guitar) sound that delivers exciting melodies. Lead single ‘Not Everyone’ should capture a lot of airplay, with its incessant, Green On Red-gone-surf beat, and ‘Jordi Taught Me’ swaggers like a gothic Jonathan Richman.

     ‘Medication’ explores Spacemen 3 and Brian Jonestown Massacre’s more garagey tendencies, ‘The Circle Ain’t Broken’ offers wild-eyed, drunken surf insanity, and there’s a rather funky, groovy body swerve to the soulful ‘Control’. Closer ‘No More Tears’ even offers a rather touching, tears-in-your-Bière ballad.

     It’s all very lo-fi, sloppy, druggy, drunken fun – perfect to kick off those Fête Nationale celebrations … and the Summer fun that lies ahead! File under Danny & Dusty, French-style. So meet me at the local Frog and Rosbif, crack me open another Bière du Démon and let’s get this Fête started.