“Ooh la la” is all we can say about the newest disc from Brooklyn’s favorite Franco-phonies Les Sans Culottes. 8 releases in, “The Gods Have Thirst” find the band lingering in the sweet spot between their aggressively rocking recent past (2007’s Le Weekender and 2012’s Pataphysical Graffiti), and the shiny pop attack of what longtime fans might term Les Sans Culottes “Classique” (2004’s Fixation Orale and 2002’s Faux Realism). This movement toward 60’s inspired pop of the champagne bubble crisp variety, lets the chirping, twanky keyboards of Benoit Bals move closer to center stage, occasionally trading melody lines with the cliquey guitar of Geddy Liason, much in the same way the band neatly balance vocals from sultry femmes Kit Kat Noir and Courtney Louvre with the belovedly Gainsbourg-ish interjections of frontman Clermont Ferrand. Shining on tracks like “Faux Pas,” “Pierre, Don’t Let the Cat Out,” and “DSK” – a horn section laden paean to International Monetary Fund lech Dominique Strauss-Kahn – the band remain ever successful in cloaking cultural commentary in comedy while setting it to a catchy beat. All in all, “The Gods Have Thirst” proves that after 16 years together (but just 2 with current lineup) the French revolution ain’t nearly over yet; and that’s magnifique.

 
Stream the Album here: