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Aug 25, 2010 Eux Autres By Frank Valish

It was quite a shame for Eux Autres this past Friday night at North Star Bar in Philadelphia, PA. The reasons had nothing to do with the band’s performance; rather, the San Francisco-via-Portland brother-sister duo and their supporting cast seemed to have gotten the short end of the stick from the get-go. First, the band had to play to at the bright-and-early time of 9:30 PM, the opening slot on a bill of four, the headliners of which were a local band from a Philly suburb. Second, the total crowd for their set amounted to approximately 25 people, only a few of whom seemed to be paying as much attention as they should have been. It was an inauspicious start to the night for sure, and it’s too bad, because those who were tuned in were privy to a fantastic set of melodically stellar indie-pop.

For those who are unfamiliar, Eux Autres started in the early 2000s, with Nicholas and Heather Larimer, based out of Portland, OR. After releasing a couple of under the radar indie-pop albums and seven-inch singles, the band relocated to San Francisco, and will be releasing their third full-length release this November.

While the band used to perform as a duo, with Nicholas on guitar and vocals and Heather on drums and vocals, it has fleshed out its sound with the addition of a drummer and bassist, which has also moved Heather front and center. On this night at North Star Bar, while Nicholas held down the sound with crisp, driving guitar, Heather banged a tambourine, played xylophone, danced, and sang like a brunette Nico to Nicholas’ Lou Reed. But instead of some art-rock project, Eux Autres is all indie guitar pop. One is tempted to think that the band would have been huge had they come 15 years earlier. Their sound recalls early- to mid-‘90s female fronted “alternative” rock without the “alternative,” something like Athens indie-darlings Magnapop with less fuzz and more jangle. Or think J. Mascis’ “Take A Run at the Sun” (from the excellent Grace of My Heart soundtrack), but sung by someone who can actually sing. The band’s short set was enchanting, a vibrant performance by a band unafraid to embrace its pop sense without irony or kitsch.

With the release of its upcoming third album, Eux Autres will hopefully come out East again. Let’s hope more people show up this time. They don’t know what they’re missing. (www.euxautres.net)