Plasticines : 'About Love'
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Released: 15th February 2010
Label: Nylon Records
Bonjour. Ca va? Apart from a sub-phrase book grasp of the language the only other thing I took away from a brief residency in France was the impression that French pop music is utter merde. I'm happy to say after listening to Plastiscines' "About Love" I can say that some French pop music can be, at the very least, not bad.
You may have unwittingly heard Plastiscines on a programme entitled "Gossip Girl". I have never seen this particular programme, probably because I have been doing better things like organising my Boba Fett figures into order of manufacture. From what I gather it is a bunch of painfully cool and attractive youths pouting. This is probably why they chose Plastiscines to feature on it, four ridiculously good-looking Parisian girls singing about how life is sometimes hard for people who can actually enjoy their own reflection. "About Love" is definitely style over substance, but that doesn't mean it's not enjoyable.
Latest single "Bitch" is probably the best of the lot, a brainless bass thumper with an unavoidably catchy chorus, "I'm a bitch! I-T-C-H! I'm a bitch! I-T-C-H!"; which in a French accent adds that little bit extra va-va-voom. The rest of the album, with tracks entitled "Another Kiss" and "From Friends to Lovers" sticks determinedly to wanky teenage cliches but you can't argue with its slick implementation; Fratelliesque overblown indie imitation rock hanging on big, obvious and infectious choruses. "Coney Island" and "Avec Toi" are delivered in French and as such sound much more interesting as the English lyrics of the other songs are so inconsequential they barely even register. There is the obligatory ballad with "I am Down Tonight" which is essentially audio fluff, it floats around your ears in a distracting fashion to just fade away from your attention and memory.
The praise I'm giving Plastiscines in this review might be deemed to be so faint as to be nearly invisible, but really it's not a bad album. As a jaded, embittered individual I found it likable but too light and frothy to make an impact. A more well-adjusted listener, or simply someone looking for some disposable fun might hear it with a more appreciative ear. I however shall stick to Edith Piaf and my Star Wars figures and leave this one to the hipsters.
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