Ecoutez Bien

I'm pretty sure that in the past, I've come across blog mentions of Portland based, brother-sister duo Eux Autres but never took the time to listen to them until now. Amongst the countless indie music acts that I've come across through music blogs over the last little while, Eux Autres are the diamond in the rough that I've been looking for. The Omaha-born, Portland-based duo is made up of brother and sister, Heather and Nicholas Larimer, both sharing lead vocals with Heather on drums and Nicholas on guitar. The duo perform a potent blend of sixties French pop with a stripped down, duo-based garage rock sound and a dash of sixties girl group sensibilities. A description like this might give the impression that their music's all gimmick and no substance, but I swear the songs' infectious melodies are undeniable. With songs like the rockier Stereolab-ish "Ecoutez Bien" or the infectious indie-pop of the Heather-sung "Other Girls", Eux Autres should appeal to Zoi Zoi fans and indie-rock/indiepop fans alike. Their debut album "Hell Is Eux Autres"(recorded by Portland engineer Jeff Stuart Saltzman and Sleater Kinney/Quasi's Janet Weiss) was released in 2004. Although sure to frustrate fans who've been following the band since 2004 and are waiting for a new record, it's good news to me to find out that Montreal-based indie label Grenadine Records are rereleasing the album in early June, with expanded artwork and lyrics. Hopefully, the band can capitalize on the upcoming exposure. Last week a person from Grenadine Records posted a message on Stille Post and mentioned that they're looking to book Eux Autres a show in Toronto on June 16th; the other day someone replied that they are bringing the band to Toronto. No other show details to mention, but I'm keeping the whole month of June open just to be safe.

MP3: Eux Autres - "Other Girls"
MP3: Eux Autres - "Ecoutez Bien"
MP3: Eux Autres - "The Sundance Kid"
MP3: Eux Autres - "Patric Nil"

Thanks to Young Poisoner for the mp3 links.

Visit the band's MySpace site and the band's new record label Grenadine Records.

Check out photos of the band at their Flickr site.
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