We still have a little bit of time before the debut album from Everybody Was In The French Resistance…Now!, the side-project of Art Brut’s Eddie Argos and Dyan Valdés from The Blood Arm, hits stores. But now, we’re getting another taste of what the band has to offer when the duo finally gives Avril Lavigne the reality check she deserves.
The new single, which is streaming on Argos’ MySpace, is, like the rest of the album, a send-up of popular songs from the last 40 years or so. In this particular gem, Argos and Valdes give a reassuring message to young girls worldwide.
“Pop songs have traditionally been “boy meets girl,” “girl meets boy,” “boy/girl overcome a problem,” or “boy/girl break up” – in the last decade or so, there has been an alarming new archetype in pop songwriting: “girl steals other girl’s boyfriend.” This is a divisive message to send to young girls everywhere, and songs like “Girlfriend” (see also “You Belong With Me” by Taylor Swift) only teach young women that they can derive more worth and status from stealing each others’ boyfriends than they can from realizing their own achievements.”
While a a song like “Hey, It’s Jimmy Mack” has a bit of that swinging ’60s vibe with a slice of ’70s funk thrown in, “G.I.R.L.F.R.I.E.N (You Know I’ve Got A)” is something akin more to a wonderfully bad ’80s pop song that is full of plenty of handclaps, overly dramatic keys, and a chipper to the maximum guitar line. It reeks of forced hope and positivity as Argos tears apart a girl who needs to keep her hands to herself.
Fixin’ The Charts, Volume One is available February 16th, 2010 via Cooking Vinyl.
Fixin’ The Charts Tracklist:
01. Creeque Allies
02. G.I.R.L.F.R.E.N (You Know I’ve Got A)
03. (I’m So) Waldo P Emerson Jones
04. The Scarborough Affaire
05. Billie’s Genes
06. Think Twice (It’s Not Alright)
07. Hey Its Jimmy Mack
08. He’s A “Rebel”
09. Coal Digger
10. My Way (Is Not Always The Best Way)
11. Superglue
12. Walk Alone
