Everybody Was in the French Resistance...Now!
Everybody Was in the French Resistance...Now! are a band dedicated to writing responses to popular songs, featuring Eddie Argos of Art Brut and Dyan Valdés of The Blood Arm. They have released one album, Fixin' the Charts, Vol. 1 in 2010.
Everybody Was in the French Resistance...Now! | |
|---|---|
.jpg.webp) Everybody Was in the French Resistance...Now! in 2010 | |
| Background information | |
| Origin | Deptford/Bournemouth, England & Los Angeles, California |
| Genres | Indie rock |
| Years active | 2010–present |
| Labels | Cooking Vinyl |
| Members | Eddie Argos Dyan Valdés |
History
Eddie Argos announced the band on his blog in 2008, stating that this was a response to Avril Lavigne attempting to "steal men from happy and loving relationships," a sardonic reference to her song "Girlfriend".[1] Eddie Argos is a renowned 'music geek',[2] and took the opportunity to reply to several songs on this project, from 60's soul numbers on "Hey, It's Jimmy Mack", to Kanye West on "Coal Digger".
It is currently not clear if the band was a one off side project, or if there are plans for a second album, although it has been mentioned in passing on Eddie Argos' blog.[3]
Fixin' the Charts, Vol. 1
| Fixin the Charts, Vol. 1 | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Studio album by Everybody Was in the French Resistance...Now! | |
| Released | 25 January 2010 |
| Recorded | Joshua Tree |
| Genre | Indie rock, garage punk, garage rock |
| Length | 35:26 |
| Label | Cooking Vinyl |
| Producer | Dave Newton |
Everybody Was in the French Resistance...Now!'s album was recorded in Joshua Tree, California, and was produced by David Newton (guitarist) of The Mighty Lemon Drops.[2] The 12 tracks reply to a wide variety of songs, and often take a completely different tack to the original, for example, where Creeque Alley by The Mamas and the Papas sang about the history of the band and the California music scene of the time, Creque Allies is a potted history of the French Resistance in World War II.
Critical reception
| Aggregate scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Metacritic | 60/100[4] |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |    |
| Pitchfork Media | |
| Spin | |
| Robert Christgau | (A-) |
| The A.V. Club | (B) |
The album received mixed reviews in the media. Pitchfork, who are normally favourable to Argos' main band Art Brut stated that it was "for obsessives only", and of the concept that, "a mildly amusing Myspace click can lead to a painfully obnoxious album."[2] It was also variously described as "half finished",[5] and "disposable"[6] However, Spin magazine gave the album 7/10, referring to Eddie as "one of his generation's great poets of the mundane".[7]
However, some songs on the album were praised individually in the same reviews, for example He's a Rebel was regarded as "Funny and witty",[5] and Stereogum referred to Argos as "Indie rock's thick-browed sardonic clown prince.".[8] Contact Music's largely negative review did concede that, "There are moments of pitch perfect piano pop".[6]
Track listing
| # | Title | Time | Answer song to[2][5][8] |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Creque Allies" | 3:08 | The Mamas & the Papas – "Creeque Alley" |
| 2 | "G.I.R.L.F.R.E.N (You Know I've Got A)" | 3:21 | Avril Lavigne – "Girlfriend" |
| 3 | "(I'm So) Waldo P. Emerson Jones" | 2:52 | The Archies- "Waldo P. Emerson Jones" |
| 4 | "The Scarborough Affaire" | 2:29 | "Scarborough Fair" (trad. arr.) |
| 5 | "Billy's Genes" | 3:27 | Michael Jackson – "Billie Jean" |
| 6 | "Think Twice (It's Not Alright)" | 3:31 | Bob Dylan – "Don't Think Twice, It's All Right" |
| 7 | "Hey! It's Jimmy Mack" | 3:01 | Martha & The Vandellas- "Jimmy Mack" |
| 8 | "He's A "Rebel" " | 2:42 | The Crystals – "He's A Rebel" |
| 9 | "Coal Digger" | 2:40 | Kanye West- Gold Digger |
| 10 | "My Way (Is Not Always the Best Way)" | 3:19 | Frank Sinatra – "My Way" |
| 11 | "Superglue" | 1:37 | Elastica – "Vaseline" |
| 12 | "Walk Alone" | 3:19 | Gerry & The Pacemakers – "You'll Never Walk Alone" |
Personnel
- Eddie Argos – Vocals
- Dyan Valdés – Vocals, piano, composer
- David Newton – Producer, guitar, bass
- Louis Castle – Trumpet
- Nick Armoroso – Drums
- Bekki Newton – Vocals
- Dave Schultz – Mastering[9]
References
- "The Eddie Argos Resource- Everybody Was in the French Resistance...NOW". The-eddie-argos-resource.blogspot.com. 7 May 2008. Retrieved 2 June 2020.
- Marc Hogan (18 February 2010). "Pitchfork Reviews- Fixin' the Charts, Vol. 1". Pitchfork.
- "THE EDDIE ARGOS RESOURCE: An Entire EWITFR...N Show". The-eddie-argos-resource.blogspot.com. 8 December 2010. Retrieved 2 June 2020.
- "Fixin' The Charts, Volume One by Everybody Was in the French Resistance...Now". Metacritic. Retrieved 2 June 2020.
- Jude Clarke (25 January 2010). "The Line of Best Fit- Fixin' the Charts". The Line of Best Fit. Archived from the original on 13 May 2011. Retrieved 8 April 2011.
- Spencer Kornhaber (10 February 2010). "Everybody Was in the French Resistance...Now! – Fixin' the Charts Vol.1 Album Review". Contactmusic.com.
- "Art Brut moonlighter role-plays with pop hit". Spin. Retrieved 15 March 2011.
- "Stereogum- EWITFRN GIRLFREN video". Stereogum.com. 19 January 2010.
- "Fixin' the Charts, Vol. 1 – Everybody Was in the French Resistance...Now!". AllMusic. 16 February 2010. Retrieved 2 June 2020.