Kicks

Glasgow is a much brighter place seen through the eyes of The 1990s than those of Glasvegas. It’s trips to the zoo, not the dole queue, that the trio are concerned about on Kicks, the follow-up to 2007’s debut Cookies. And once they’ve finished frolicking with the animals, they’re eyeing girls up on the bus (59), dreaming of going to LA (Everybody Please Relax) or shagging 1970s terrorists in blue bikinis (Kickstrasse). The fact that latter track is ostensibly about the Baader-Meinhof gang might suggest The 1990s share a similar highbrow bent to former bandmates Franz Ferdinand – 1990s singer Jamie McKeown having once played alongside Alex Kapranos in The Yummy Fur – but neither their music or lyrics are as arch. If their name wasn’t enough, then the presence of Bernard Butler as producer should tell you exactly what to expect from Kicks: solid, good-time indie with handclaps, harmonies and glam guitars making for a fun 40 minutes that’s simply a decade too late. (6)