Despite the fact that Rural France have been doing their thing for a fair few years now, churning out the kind of ragged 90s indie rock I love, they are relatively new to me. I’m a big fan of singer Tom Brown’s other band (Teenage Tom Petties) but somehow missed that he also had this project with Rob Fawkes. More fool me because this is a fabulous record.
Opener Tag Along has the all ragged charm of early Teenage Fanclub (I’m thinking Star Sign in particular) and a singalong chorus that politely enquires “Would you mind if I tag along?” It’s super catchy and a pretty much perfect two minute (and twenty one seconds) pop song.
The record continues with The Song She Skips, another slice of fuzzy indie pop with a twangy guitar intro and melancholic lyrics (“Maybe I’m a fool to make these tapes for you. Maybe there’s another who wouldn’t be so cruel”). It’s like if Beatnik Filmstars had been less Fall obsessed and had somehow ended up on Sarah Records. The whole thing’s done and dusted inside 90 seconds, a brevity that comes from the Robert Pollard school of songwriting – say what you gotta say, make it catchy as hell and don’t outstay your welcome.
Ghost Dance is another highlight and has a lovely Byrds-ian jangle throughout. Indeed, as much as the album is influenced by 90s indie there’s a strong 60s flavour too. I can hear bits of Big Star and Ohio Express as well as the kind of garage-y rock featured on the Pebbles and Nuggets compilations.
And if The Boy With The Shortest Fuse reminds me of Boyracer then Packhorse has an opening keyboard riff that wouldn’t be out of place on a Stereolab record, as well as one of my favourite lines on the album (“I will carry your pain until you want it back again”). Blabbermouth, with it’s country twang and beautiful lap steel guitar, could be a lost Lemonheads song, or maybe Crooked Rain-era Pavement.
Album closer Prize Goose takes that Pavement influence back a record to Slanted and Enchanted (which is the best one by the way). It’s the longest track on the record and also one of the slowest and I absolutely love it. If the album starts with the feel good hit of the summer then it ends with a song that’s going to see me through autumn and winter and comfortably into next spring.
This is a beautiful and charming album full of beautiful and charming songs. If you like your choruses catchy, your guitars jangly and your pop ramshackle then Rural France could be the band you’ve been looking for. I’m sure glad I found them, albeit a little late.