As indicated by their names, Tom Brown and Rob Fawkes are not from a village outside Clermont-Ferrand. SLOTHS is their fourth album under the moniker Rural France. The duo’s origins are in ‘sprightly slacker jams’, though they are hardworking fathers based in Wiltshire, not day-wasting beach dudes in California.
First track ‘Slab’ begins with the Wizard of Oz-like admission, “I’ve got a slab where I should have a face / I’ve got a brick where I should have a brain.” The lines “harder to explain” are echoed by Alvin the Chipmunk, and the word ‘’oughta” is rhymed with “water”, even though this is illegal in every country except the US. Despite the pain in the lyrics, the track trips along as casually as Rivers Cuomo strumming his acoustic in Central Park, and it ends with a glitchy wind down like a coffee-soaked computer.
“I want to be thirty-seven forever / Wanna hold it down and keep it together.” The video for ‘Thirty Seven Forever’ sees the Rural France pair doing mundane things in the house, such as putting a pillow in its case and untangling cable wires. This is the antithesis of rock ‘n’ roll, but as with ‘Slab’, there is a very pleasing dissonance: pre-middle age has never sounded so jubilant. You could disregard the theme and still enjoy the softly crunchy Pavement-like guitars and chorus that’s hookier than a Peter Pan re-make.
‘How You Gonna Get Even?’ contains a 50s chord progression on the verses, and the “wuh hoah” at the end of the chorus adds to the ‘Enchantment Under The Sea’ bop vibe. “How you gonna get even with that guy?” A bespoke time machine and a punch in the chops should do the trick. ‘Someone You Forgot’ starts with a ‘Here Comes The Sun’-like tinkly beginning, and the track evolves into a recollection of efforts made to be more than a nobody, and a plea for posterity-perpetuating preservation.
‘Lonely Heart Pyramid Scheme’ is, according to the band or their PR, a “horn-embossed loser anthem”. According to me, it jangles more than a hundred clusters of car keys and makes Teenage Fanclub sound as happy as a bison locked in an abattoir. Talking of said Scottish alternative rock band, the harmonies on ‘Soulseeker’ may prompt pining for Beach Boys-filtered 90s indie. No need to seek the archives though – stick this track on and pretend the internet doesn’t exist.
‘Jukebox Weepie’ begins with a burst of Belle and Sebastian-inspired organ, and after that the track sounds like the archetypal Sarah’s Records’ record on double speed with a country and western twang on the chorus. If you’ve ever fancied taking up poetry (and who wouldn’t?), you could have a go at writing a metaphor for nostalgia. If you did, it’s extremely improbable that it would be as good as this one from the ‘Casio’ chorus: “Faded digits on a Casio watch / But I still can’t take it off.” Ah, beautiful.
‘High Hopes (Ballad of Rural France)’ has a very pleasant Elliot Smith ring to it, and it includes the line, “No one really likes The Fall.” You may want to avert your ears if you’re a fan of the French existentialist or the Mancunian mumble merchants. The album closes with ‘Electrical Tape’, which for the first two minutes sounds as subdued as E from Eels nursing a stubbed toe. The second half is far more positive, featuring more horn and the words, “I think it might be better if you and me just stick together.”
Rural France could have devoted their spare time to untangling even more needless wires. They could have developed a tedious penchant for real ale or right-wing politics. It is a gift to us that they chose to form a band, which puts an English twist on peak Pavement. Yes, pavement not sidewalk.
SLOTHS is out on 8th May via Meritorio Records & Safe Suburban Home
Rural France: Bandcamp |Instagram
Gigs:
Friday 8th May – The Peer Hat, Manchester
Saturday 9th May – Just Dropped In, Coventry
Friday 15th May – The Holloway, Norwich
Saturday 16th May – The Old England, Bristol
All dates with Ben Auld + Sumos
Review by Neil Laurenson
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