Molly O’ Poverty

FRENCH KICKS >> Following Waves

September 26th, 2005

StarTime Intl. Records makes four FREE MP3s available in their MP3 section. Since I’ve been trying to educate readers about music that’s not only free but also legal to download, I am also trying to put into words why a certain “sound” resonates with me more than others and hence, why I chose it for the Guide, I will say this about today’s selection “Following Waves“: You had me at ‘Hello.’

Now, I’m a tough critic. Not only do I judge books by their cover, I judge songs by their intros. And any song whose first thirty seconds is as gorgeous as this has me hooked. It could spiral into utter crap by the one-minute mark, but you gotta love an intro this catchy. Luckily for us, the vocals are just as cool and terrific. Case in point, when lead vocalist Nick Stumpf claims “I will love what you are.” Why does that get me right here?? [I’m pointing to my concave chest cavity.] But I digress… back to the intro. At the fifteen second mark, the piano kicks in reminding me just how effective it can be in a mainstream pop/rock song; It is also faintly reminiscent of “Clocks” by Coldplay (which I mean as a compliment, by the way).

On the band’s page, you will also find two more MP3s from their latest album, “When You Heard You” and “One More Time” (they are also FREE, naturally). I found these two to be less of my sound than today’s standout selection. So is “French Kicks” a Molly O’ Poverty One-Hit Wonder? I’m not sure. To be fair, only time will tell. But as I said before, finding just one free song –that you actually like to listen to– is like finding gold. Besides, 1 out of 3 ain’t half bad, is it? [Please, no comments about 33% being more than half. The reference was intentional!]

Entry Filed under: FREE DOWNLOAD(S)