Send "Tahiti 80 " Ringtones to your Cell 
| Pitchfork |
 The winsomely cute Frenchmen in Tahiti 80 have been bouncing around the international rock scene since the early 1990s, playing the kind of blithe, bouncy, and buffed-to-a-high-gloss indie pop that Parisian bands do so well. So they've certainly put in the work, outlasting many indie next-big-things over the last decade-plus. But they've also never achieved a hit on par with their peers in, say, Phoenix.The disparity between the band's dogged longevity and their limited success isn't hard to account for. Like so many bands who litter used CD bins and MP3 blogs, Tahiti 80's music has always been just good enough to ensure a modest fanbase happy enough to check out an album every two years or so. They're a wannabe pop act in search of that one really great pop song, let alone a whole album full of them. Tahiti 80 have just never written a hook as strong as the ones you'll hear on "1901" or "Lisztomania", and after six albums, you wonder if they ever will. On the evidence of The Past, the Present, and the Possible, they're still searching for one of those choruses that lingers in your head all day, as much as you might like it out of there. The main problem is the songwriting, which could charitably be described as a well-executed but ultimately ignorable mix of lightweight power-pop and smooth soft-rock clichés, played as competently as possible and yet without an ounce of verve, joy, whatever. But frontman Xavier Boyle's mimsy mewl is also a stumbling block to Tahiti 80's pop ambitions. Boyle's voice has all the character and dynamism you'd expect from a second tier indie-pop band, however polished the end product. Not that Phoenix's Thomas Mars is Marvin Gaye in the pipes department, but he can honestly get across pop ecstasy, even if it's the laid-back sort. Of course when you call your second album Wallpaper For the Soul, you might as well be announcing that your ambitions don't extend much beyond making incredibly slick background music for the Adult Alternative set. Same as it ever was then on The Past, the Present, and the Possible, though as indie-as-background-music goes you could do a lot worse, especially these days....full text |
| Contactmusic |
| Now a six piece, Tahiti 80 have been treading an unspectacular line between anonymity and struggle ever since their formation in Rouen in the early 90's, despite a seemingly overt desire to channel the spirit of Gallic pop into something palatable to folks from both sides of la Manche. Half a dozen albums in, at times on The Past, The Present & The Possible it feels like they've almost managed it, especially during the claustrophobic-foot stomping Darlin' (Adam & Eve Song) and also on paean to reflected stardom Gate 33. Produced by singer/guitarist Xavier Boyer, the group have described this as their "post modern" album, a school of thought apparently derived from an inspirational mixtape listened to during the recording process which featured amongst others the diverse talents of The The, Wire and Boys Own fanzine founder cum Screamadelica muse, Andy Weatherall...full text |
| Thisisfakediy |
| Name a French band who have enjoyed success in the UK. Go on. If you answered 'Phoenix', good job. If you struggle to think of any others, that's perfectly acceptable because, well, we do too. Domestic success clearly does not equate to waves being made elsewhere. Tahiti 80 should know; they've been together for all of 18 years at this stage, and whilst quite well known in their home country, they've never caused as much of a ripple here. There will be people familiar with 'Big Day', especially if they're FIFA fans (it was featured on the 2007 edition's soundtrack), but otherwise unaware of the Gallic electro-pop merchants. It's possible that their new album could change this. If ever there was a song that could propel them into the British public eye, then it is surely 'Darlin' (Adam And Eve Song)', which, had it been written by a British or American group with a similar sound (and we all know there's space for them in the charts nowadays), would definitely have been a hit. There are a number of other songs that have serious potential; case in point, 'Want Some?', which is dreamy and uplifting in equal measure. The six-piece are evidently very good at two things, both as important as each other: creating irresistible melodies and exercising stringent quality control methods....full text |
Tahiti 80 lyrics
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