Louis XIV Illegal Tender. Release Date : January 25, 2005. Label: Atlantic/Pineapple Recording Group. Rating: Andy doesn't dig rating stuff. I remember pulling this disc out of an envelope that was packed with three or four CDs and immediately thinking, "This will probably be interesting, if not sensational." It reminded me somewhat of an EP cover for an album called Sexual Uno from a Seattle group, Post Stardom Depression. A number of similarities were there - an EP in a cardboard digipak case, featuring pin-up girl-styled chicks in various states of dress all over the cover. Horrors, what will your mother think?! Well honestly, who cares. Even she probably likes it in secret. Anyways, I didn't listen to it for a while. I brought it with me on a trip to Toronto at the end of February and popped it into a CD player at my host's house while everyone else was gone, and I was spending the day sitting in an easy chair watching the snow pile up outside the window and chewing away on Special K cereal bars. I just needed to be alone with it. It's actually a little weird how parallel this Louis XIV stuff is to PSD, along with the sexual-overtones-with-a-sensitive-gentleman-side, outlandish lyrics and scruffy vocals, but now I'm just getting sidetracked. My first note here is funny - I brought a heap of CDs in a 24-count case, leaving the album art behind. The Illegal Tender CD itself only has the band name written in tiny type as part of a website address, which failed to register with me right off the bat, so my 'title' for my thoughts on the disc which were scribbled into a steno pad as I lounged by that wintery window is "naked chick disc." Appropriate, as the disc features the arched-backed, nude form of a curvacious babe cropped from tits to upper thigh. These guys mean business. Right out of the gate, the thing is sexy. From the opening feedback notes, I could tell I'd be into it. Maybe it'd be a bit corny if you were to sit around and over-analyze it, but it sounds so good and so hot - this scrawly voice chimes in, really just talking with a flow, pouring pure, solid sexuality out of the speakers. There's a little bit of blues, now there's a dirty guitar - oh it's just delicious! It has just a bit more natural smut than most jangly modern guitar rawk. Suddenly a girl's voice comes in begging luridly. It's interesting, sort of a conversation over a soft piano and a breathy beat. At times, I think of Iggy Pop, and at times, I think of Elton John. That's a pretty huge gap right there, but it showcases the kind of vibe this thing has. It's flouncy and it's carefree and it's a celebration, but you know, in an underground sort of way. Nice stuff, it completely urges you to get up and dance around a bit. I perhaps thought I should run out in the snow and cool off... but nah, that would be so defeatist. Served best with a succulent nightcap. Song of choice : Title track "Illegal Tender" stood out in this collection. It has this jumpy, vibrant feel to it, with so many voices and noises. Funny enough, the songs on this short disc are the racier ones, and some make a re-appearance on the full-length, The Best Little Secrets Are Kept, but on that longer disc, the group explores a wider range of themes and sounds that really prove they are not a one-trick pony, and (*gasp*) have some musical talent/substance beyond the nipples and garters they seem to stand for at the outset. Keep 'em guessing. -Andy Scheffler Elsewhere Louis XIV website Published : April, 2005.