Plastiscines - "Zazie Fait De La Bicyclette" (2007)

Sauntering onto the Parisian rock scene with short, beguiling songs that radiated equal parts sass and smarts, the Plastiscines have a backstory that borders on the legendary: they met at a Libertines show, they were discovered by the producer of Kraftwerk, they were barely out of their teens when the ink was drying on their gilded record contract. From such auspicious raw materials, the Plastiscines wound up spearheading an entire movement—les bébés rockers—and, to date, earning the most stateside exposure of this rowdy Paris-based indie rock community.

It’s a crystalline, tidy sort of indie rock, to be sure. In fact, the Plastiscines navigate blithely past the cultural burden of needing to ‘rock as hard as the men’ that their female amerindie compatriots are often compelled to shoulder. Instead, the Plastiscines deliver a stripped-down sound that rocks in a compelling, often deliberately casual way that doesn’t necessarily call attention to the gender of the musicians. The singing’s another story, of course; singer/guitarist Katty Besnard’s laconic vocal delivery recalls Blondie’s Debbie Harry—a perceptive touchstone when your m.o. is balancing the seemingly incompatible mix of standoffish boredom and utter glee.

Speaking of glee, “Zazie Fait De La Bicyclette” is not the catchiest track on the album (the radio-ready “Loser”) or the one that flaunts the most punk energy (the snarling “La Regle Du Jeu”), but it is the funniest, and arguably the most joyously compelling. Over a wonky, mismatched minor key progression, Besnard describes an idealized stage-set of the most iconic elements of the Swinging Sixties (Twiggy in mini-skirts, mods and rockers facing off). Against this colorful backdrop, Besnard sings—like an 11-year-old spazz—about Zazie riding her bike at night. The band oom-pah’s along in cut time, mirroring the wobbly hold on a set of handlebars in the dark.

“Zazie” is a tossed-off, corny joke that doesn’t fit with the rest of the record. It could easily have been left off, or relegated to a b-side; but, like the titular heroine’s bicycle ride itself, sometimes the journey is more important than the destination. For now, I’m happy to pedal right behind the Plastiscines and follow them wherever they go.

click the image below to listen to song previews or buy the album: