French Kicks Deliver Thrills

Even as the progressive streak in modern rock has made it cool for such bands as Radiohead to sprawl cerebrally, short ‘n’ punchy has also come back into vogue, thanks to such acts as New York’s Strokes, Sweden’s Hives and now, perhaps, D.C.-to-Brooklyn quartet the French Kicks, who offered a breakneck blend of angular punk, mod garage and pulsing new wave during its performance at Spaceland on Tuesday.

Comparisons to the Strokes were inevitable, if not entirely appropriate. The groups formed in the same year (1998), and both captured the attention of the British music world. But the French Kicks were a little less poseur-attitudinal, a bit more genuinely gritty, during the 35-minute performance.

Selections from the band’s debut album, “One Time Bells,” also drew from a broader set of influences, providing an entertaining twist on an old formula. Singer-drummer Nick Stumpf, positioned at the front of the ensemble, had a spastic appeal, his emotive vocals often boosted by harmonies from guitarist Matt Stinchcomb and guitarist-keyboardist Josh Wise.

Recalling early XTC and Elvis Costello as well as ‘90s alt-rockers such as Elastica, the music had a dominant minor-key drone that made it fetchingly dark. Not everything stood out, but many tunes had a dissonance-fueled melodiousness that was strangely catchy. It remains to be seen whether the French Kicks will become distinguished in the pack of punk newcomers. But when it came to brief thrills, the band delivered.