Nous Non Plus

The septet Nous Non Plus scares up sumptuous cool on its self-titled debut, whipping elements borrowed from The Strokes, Stereolab, and The B-52's into delectable French pastries. And so we get delights like "Lawnmower Boy," in which the band makes like Guitar Wolf on a New Wave kick; the disco hip-shake quake of "Tant Pis Pour Toi," as mirrorball-infectious as anything in Franz Ferdinand's arsenal; and "Monikini," a swank, horn-chart fiesta whose chorus consists of unisex baaaaaas. But the luxurious bubble-bath lullaby "Premier Balser" makes for the record's tastiest dish: Harplike guitar, fluffy trumpets, and Mellotron-like keyboards swish languidly about, as lead vocalists Celine Dijon and Jean-Luch Retard stage-whisper sweet nothings back and forth to each other through the scented steam.