TAHITI 80
Fosbury
The Militia Group
· Sexy French pop band delve a little too far into the retro chic.
Oh, those cheeky French. For well over a decade French pop music – both the old-school Serge Gainsbourg variety and the more contemporary stuff – has been hipper than hip, and while Tahiti 80 hasn’t received the acclaim of Air or Phoenix, they’ve been putting out quality records since the mid-’90s.
Fosbury is probably as good or better than the band’s previous albums, but it’s also an indicator as to why this band isn’t huge – while their sound is cool and their songs are catchy, there’s more style going on here than substance. A mesh of sexy disco, blue-eyed soul and that mysterious je ne sais quoi that makes French pop so damned French, Fosbury opens with "Big Day," an incredibly suave and ear-catching track. From there, though, things start to blend together and at some points Tahiti 80’s sophisticated throwback style drifts into the realm of ironic kitsch.
There’s a fine line between chic and geek and at their worst Tahiti ’80s-lite R&B sounds a little too much like David Silver serenading Donna Martin at the ’92 West Beverly homecoming dance. That’s not to say that Tahiti 80 don’t have their moments, but when a band’s cover of The Turtles’ "Happy Together" is the most memorable melody on their album, it means they have some focusing to do.
3/5
ELIZABETH CHORNEY-BOOTH
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