Ain't that a French kick in the head?

WITH THEIR LATEST CD, 'TRIAL OF THE CENTURY,' THE BAND FRENCH KICKS HAS SHIFTED TO A UNIQUE POPPIER BRAND OF POST-PUNK

FRENCH KICKS
When: At noon on Monday
Where: UCSB Storke Plaza
Cost: Free

By Josef Woodard
NEWS-PRESS CORRESPONDENT

If the band name French Kicks suggests a weird mixture of slobbery affection, violent leg action and the synonym for cavalier fun-making, the name-to-sound match-up has done its job. This charming yet punchy band out of Washington, D.C., and Brooklyn, N.Y., manages to stir up a ruckus while engaging in supposedly pop cheesy devices. Fluid synthesizer parts, singer Nick Stumpf's sometimes Paul McCartney-esque timbre and sweet vocal harmonies are all hallmarks of their fine latest album "Trial of the Century," on the Star Time label.

It all adds up to a sound busting out with an appeal both immediate and also hard to place in the usual punk/pop universe. And that's a good thing, according to Stumpf, who says the band has "a strong tendency toward doing our own thing and making our own way. But it's always in the productive spirit of trying to make something new, rather than an act of rebellion against anything specific. And it's pop music we're making, anyway. The mantra is do that as well as possible."

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