Let Them Eat Cake

Let Them Eat Cake, the final EP released by Chico’s recently defunct keyboard-heavy rockers French Reform, feels remarkably complete for containing only three songs. The track order—from the slow-moving, finger-snapping “Run,” to the anticipatory march of “Always the Feeling,” to the twitchy, up-tempo “Shuttles”—escalates perfectly. And after repeat listening, a basic pattern shared by each song starts to emerge: quiet and sparse at the beginning, building to crescendo(s), then a quick drop-off into a quiet goodbye. It’s a wonderful rush. And it’s especially satisfying on the last song. Over insistent drum patterns, two bright synths paint short strokes to the beat, building tension that gets released when the keys and full drums open up in a wash of beautiful noise. There’s a brief respite before it blasts off one last time, during which singer/guitarist Aric Jeffries prepares for the launch by shouting one of my favorite lines on the EP: “It only seems fair to celebrate” (wait for it) “the mess we’ve made!” And we’re off again. My favorite moment, however, comes just before “Shuttles” starts. Someone in the background quietly asks “Ready?” and a quick exhale follows before drumsticks click the song in. That sigh of someone readying himself for a brief, intense workout is a harbinger for the hyper fun that’s in store. Brilliant.