Background

Plastiscines are Katty Besnard (singer/guitar), Marine Neuilly (guitar), Louise Basilien (bass), Anoushka Vandevyvere (also know as Anais - drums) and former drummers Caroline and Zazie Tavitian. They formed in 2004 after Besnard, Neuilly, and Tavitian, all of whom were at school together in Saint-Cyr-l’École, met Basilien, originally a harpist, at a concert by the English band, the Libertines - ”We met her in high school, at a Libertines concert,” explains Marine. “Our friends introduced us because at first, we didn’t have a bass player… we didn’t think it was important; we played two gigs with just drums, guitars, and vocals! [But] those were a mess.”

With Louise installed as the Plastiscines timekeeper, the band quickly transcended from school dances to gigs with The Hives, The Slits, and Iggy Pop, and with their graveled sound and great style, they earned the nickname “Kate Mosh” - something they don’t seem to hate, though they’re quick to point out “we’re a band - not just a girl band.” Asked to describe the band’s sound Louise Basilien replied,  ”I would say garage rock with a pop side. But now were working on a second album at the moment and it has quite the same garage feel but it has changed a little.”

Their talent was recognised early on by Maxime Schmitt, producer of the German band Kraftwerk, and they were signed by EMI for the Virgin France label in October 2006. In addition to the Libertines, the band’s influences include the White Stripes, the Strokes and, from an earlier generation, the Kinks and Blondie. Their name derives from the phrase, “plasticine porters with looking glass ties” in the Beatles’ song, “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds”, on the 1967 album Sergeant Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band.

Plastiscines have been critical of French retailing of rock music. Louise Basilien has remarked that she learnt about rock ‘n’ roll through her parents, the Internet, and by reading books: “the generation before us could not learn about rock ‘n’ roll because the stores here were rubbish”. As a consequence, the French rock scene in 2006-07 was seen by many as fresh and exciting, even though the requirement that forty per cent of songs broadcast on radio in France should be in French continued to militate against bands who wished to perform in English (because English has always been the prime language of rock ‘n’ roll…).

“People don’t expect us,” grins Marine Neuilly, the Plastiscines guitarist. “We’re just 21 years old now, and we’ve already recorded our second album, travelled… it’s not that usual to meet girls like us.”

Well, I’ve listened to this new album several times and I wish I could the enthusiasm of other reviewers. Even songs like ‘Barcelona’ and ‘Bitch’ - which some rave over - fail to light my fire. The problem for me is that 2009 was such a strong and diverse music release year that my quality demarquation line has been raised - perhaps too high, perhaps unfairly. However, 2010 is also shaping up to be another great year for music, judging by the albums received so far.

‘I Am Down Tonight’ is an acoustic-based song with a lovely melody, decent lyrics, and quite moving group vocals. It’s my highlight of this record. The French language songs, ‘Camera’ and ‘Pas Avec Moi’, are punk-rock tunes with strong instrumental performances and an authentic feel. The guitar riffs are simple but effective, the heavy drum rhythm provides them with a strong dance vibe, while the vocals have a vibrancy about them. Not bad at all. ’Barcelona’ is my pick for a single. It has a strong melody, radio friendly choruses and the odd pleasant, but basic guitar riff (that you’ve probably all heard before).

Perhaps it’s all too predicable, basic and middle-of-the-road for me. Perhaps a live performance will change my mind…