All Cannibals: Black Shark Shake-A-Lake

Hailing from Caen, this French trio comes off like a cross between the Strokes and the Cure and the soundtrack to some latter-day Jim Jarmusch movie. In short? It’s mad fun, especially the wilder tracks such as “The Choir”, “High On The Past” and “Joe (Old On The Sunny Side)”. But the more contemplative material, “Riding With Death”, “The Lady Vanishes”, works just as well as the group’s sense of humor shines throughout. It’s refreshing to hear a band this inventive and fun that’s not bent on being ironic for the sake of being ironic. Don’t worry about trying to understand the greater political ramifications of this music (there probably aren’t any). Just enjoy it.