ARROGANT CRIMINALS: Fine & Dandy (ROCK): review / opinion to read on Music Waves

After an EP in 2013 and a second one in 2017, not to mention several successful appearances in stepping stones, Arrogant Criminals is launching its first album called "Fine & Dandy".

With its very typical Anglo-Saxon indie rock cover, there's no doubt about the merchandise. The Parisians were a big fan of the sound from across the Atlantic and showed their affinity with the alternative and independent rock. The band, who has been influenced by the Beatles and who is convinced by the sound crossbreeding of the 2000s, mix genres by drawing on psychedelic, synthpop, 70s rock and britpop. But as very gifted students, they very quickly wanted to go beyond their classical influences to add their own signature. Their trademark is an ability to mix their writing and a taste for playful and attractive melody. What makes listening to "Fine & Dandy" exhilarating is that we don't know in advance in which direction Arrogant Criminals will take us when a new track starts.

Among the most remarkable sequences are the dancing 'Fine & Dandy' and 'I'm A Fool For You' followed by the very clean 'Saying Goodbye', close to the Beatles in the chorus. There is also that light, bright rock like a commercial jingle ('I Wanna Be Your Man') that precedes a tribute to the Doors, 'Midnight Revelation' with period keyboards and its ethnic percussion introduction 'The Storm'. The experience often takes on a timeless and unstructured look, with the band having fun with developments that alternate the unexpected and the bizarre, as with the two parts of 'Long Ago', linked and so different, one with its boogie frenzy rock and the other in opalescent mid-tempo under the aegis of Pink Floyd with a brutal reminder of the previous theme. There's a kind of irreverence in Arrogant Criminals, that of the talented guy who doesn't take himself seriously. For if the album ends on two tracks respectful of a certain 70's classicism, you'll have to go through the jazzy with cartoon voices of 'Time Traveler'.

"Fine & Dandy" is a joyful tote bag into which all the ideas of the Arrogant Criminals are thrown. The band's many influences often show up in the songs, but you can also hear the colours of a more personal imprint. This sometimes provokes sparks but in its totality the record asserts the potential and the qualities of this band to be followed closely. - Official website

ARROGANT CRIMINALS

FINE & DANDY

AUTRE LABEL

ROCK