Forget the fact their name sounds like a classical music experiment gone awry. Or that the tunes themselves - all giddy melodies and synthesized rhythms - sound like a K-Tel collection of ‘80s chart-toppers. French Horn Rebellion come across like a band that’s having a heck of a good time, especially since their fondness for electro-pop kingpins like Depeche Mode and Yazoo appears all too obvious.
Indeed, the group operates as if they’re in retro replay some twenty years removed, thanks to a reliance on perky tempos and washes of electronic effects verging on disco dalliance. It’s a sound that’s either infectious or irritating, depending on how far one’s able to tolerate such stylized posturing. Nevertheless, the album yields at least three exceptional highlights -- its sprawling signature song, “French Horn Rebellion”; a memorable “Showdown”; and “Up All Night,” a catchy, kinetic pop anthem that provides the album with an instantly engaging introduction.
It’s doubtful anyone will mistake French Horn Rebellion’s clever devices for actual pop profundity. Mostly their music comes across as surface sheen without a real pliable essence. However, as a guilty pleasure, it’s hard to find fault.
--Lee Zimmerman [March 28, 2008]
