Americans in France return better than ever

Americans in France- Crawling (Odessa)

Last night, riding around Charlotte with a friend, I turned up “Success,” the most succinct kiss-off on Crawling. My friend, being unfamiliar with the band remarked, “Jamie, it sounds like someone sticking his tongue out.”

And that’s true. It’s the reason I love this band. Scattered as it may be, there’s a sly smile underneath everything. The lyric she was specifically referring to, the hook to “Success,” finds front man Josh Lajoie shouting, “Success can suck it.”

There was a time when I was scared that would be Americans in France’s ultimate attitude towards making a second record. After the unbelievable Pretzelvania, there were less frequent live shows, Josh started riding with Shit Horse, and things seemed to go quiet. Rumors bounced around about a new record, but I remained skeptical. And then, in the past few months, live shows have dramatically increased, and one night last week, on the Odessa site, it was there.

A few minutes after ordering, Odessa’s Paul Finn e-mailed to let me know I was the first person to order it online, a title I’m not at all embarrassed to admit.

Pretzelvania is one of my absolute favorite records of the last few years. Punk attitude with an art rock underbelly, it provided a detatched social commentary in amphetamine-induced bursts. Crawling takes that formula even further.

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It’s a leaner record, where Pretzelvania got bogged down in stretches, this one cuts the fat to 11 superb tracks. There are no throwaways here.

Drummer Casey Cooke is given more of the spotlight, providing lead vocals on a number of tracks, and harmonies on all, she does Kim Gordon better than anyone else right now.

Across the record, the band transitions too many times to count. Songs shift without warning. Quiet to loud. Fast to slow. And it always works. Keeping your attention, waiting for Lajoie to unleash another barb like, “I got a 5-year-plan and no clean clothing.” Pretzelvania revealed a deft social critic, the tracks on Crawling feel more fully realized, not just desperate one-liners.

But, they never forsake the attitude that won me over in the first place. These are still trouble-makers, noses snotty and tongues stuck out.