Frenchmen Discography of CDs

Frenchmen albums The Frenchmen are a bit of an anomaly. Aside from not being all men or even from France, the band's music would likely fit better with K Records than dream pop aficionados Clairecords. Nonetheless, the Sacramento band has its lo-fi indie pop down pat, recalling twee bands like Tiger Trap and Beat Happening. In fact, any of the brief, lighthearted songs on Sorry We Ruined Your Party could be mistaken as those bands. Full of jangly guitars and cymbal crashes, two-minute melodies like "Runaway" and "Crimes of Fashion" have the innocence of a party without the drugs. That may very well make the band come off as uncorrupted, but the quartet's lyrics look at the downside of relationships, favoring songs about broken hearts and getting stood up rather than basking in the romance of holding hands. The vocals are sometimes a bit muddy as they get washed into the rawness, though that only adds to the sincerity. ...