French Horn Rebellion - Up All Night

This was my second review in August 2009, a good band reliving 80s electro...

Just as light wash denim and shoulder pads are on their way back to the mainstream, so are eighties electro synths beats. A comeback pioneered last year by the ever popular ‘Time to Pretend’ from MGMT, has now been emulated by multiple other bands, including Brooklyn based brothers French Horn Rebellion.

It is inevitable that comparisons would be drawn between the two, but what most will fail to realise is that FHR were the brain boxes behind the ‘Time to Pretend EP’ and helped co produce and engineer the record. Heading towards the big time like their fellow Brooklyn hedonists, FHR were featured on MTVU’s ‘Head of the Curve’ at SXSW in Texas and more recently, have been selected
for MySpace Records’ Young Artist’s Development Program.

The band began in 2007 with younger brother Robert having given up on a future with the brass instrument, and rebelling by beginning a “garage/electro/samba” band, as described on their MySpace. With a thankfully misleading name, the music infuses the French horn with dance rock and echoey Passion Pit vocals in an upbeat catchy pop tune.

Summer single ‘Up all night’ is a perfect disco track with eighties arcade game beeps distracting you from the fairly simple lyrics: “I know what’s the deal with me/I gotta know what’s the dealing with you.” Primarily based around synthesisers, the track also incorporates percussion and guitar to transcend the electro genre into rock and dance. It’s refreshing to see a single which has the potential to be a huge success and is a sole effort from the band. Their other songs are heavier offerings which have more substance, such as ‘Beaches and Friends’ where the vocals are lower and more instruments are used in conjunction with each other.

As is typical of the electro music, the band also partakes - and are victims to - remixes. One being popular Empire of the Sun’s ‘Walking on a Dream’ as well as the legendary Jackson 5’s ‘Get It Together’, both tracks have been given a dance and bop worthy makeover. French Horn Rebellion are also fans of DJing around the US and have recently taken to the decks at the post Lollapalooaza party in Chicago, Illinois.

At the moment the band are on tour in the US with Database, FHR’s Beaches and Friends EP is currently available in America. You can check them out here when they hit the UK on their tour from 21-28 September.