Rock music is never only limited to American musicians. We can be a bit of a self-involved nation that doesn’t always look passed its own contributions. Almost every country that you could imagine has it’s own rock groups that embody the genre perfectly. It’s not surprising that rock music spreads throughout the world like wildfire, because there’s such raw intense emotion behind it.
DTCV is a duo comprised of a French musician (Lola G.) and a novelist/screenwriter/guitarist (James Greer). The full name of the band, which was formed after a bond blossomed at a house party at a mansion in the Hollywood Hills, is DETECTIVE. Although their music is primarily in French, you don’t need to necessarily understand the lyrics to really get into it.
DTCV and French Grunge
The latest album from the duo, Confusion Moderne, is classified as an LP and contains 10 tracks that truly embody the grunge rock sound that was loved in the late ’80s and early ’90s. The first track, “Histoire Seule,” starts off with an energetic sound. The instruments are distorted in a way that makes the recording sound like it’s older than it actually is. It’s a very nice touch, and adds plenty of character to the track overall. The vocals echo perfectly and sound like they’re far in the distance, letting the instruments really take over.
The second track, “Conformiste,” starts off just the way a Blink 182 song would, much to my liking. The vocals resemble a sound that’s closer to pop, but still have that acid-rock tone to them. The drumming really takes over in this one, and makes the song sound a lot more ’90s than anything. There’s some serious skill going on here, and I could imagine that this one would appeal to the angsty teen within anyone.
“L’Accord Parfait” caught my attention mostly because of the title (I might be a bit hungry while writing this,) and the lyrics are a lot softer on this track than others. It’s a bit softer in tempo, but still manages to showcase the finely-tuned guitar in the background. It’s a very catchy song, although I cannot understand the lyrics, and will get your foot tapping in no time.
“We Aren’t the Champions” is the seventh track from the album and is the first one that is sung in English. The strumming of the guitar in this one is really nicely done, and doesn’t sound choppy at all. It blends together perfectly with the disembodied vocals that seem to be extremely far in the distance. The slight tapping of the tambourine near the end of the song is a very nice touch as well. I couldn’t make out too many of the lyrics in this one, which may be the only flaw overall. I know that they’re there, but I can’t seem to fully grasp what is being said. (The electric guitar at the end is perfect, though.)
DTCV is most certainly a group that you will want to check out if you are into the French scene, or if you’re an overall lover of rock music. You can check out their latest album over on SoundCloud or Spotify.
