Hell Is Eux Autres

This Omaha brother-sister duo plays minimalist indie pop and likes to sing in French for the heck of it. It's hard to pinpoint what's unique about them, but Eux Autres have a novel formula that grafts bubblegum handclaps, glam energy, and an offbeat sense of humor onto a melodic keenness that's half '90s indie pop and half '60s French pop. The siblings share vocal duties: drummer Heather Larimer is the cool and detached sophisticate, like Susan Anway on the early Magnetic Fields records, and younger brother Nicholas is the weedy indie rock kid on guitar. Their debut album, Hell Is Eux Autres, offers a brief set of nine songs that never falters. "Other Girls," in particular, is an instant classic. Otherwise, the album ranges from the seriousness of the ballad "Wind and Windows" to the joyful nonsense of "Le Project Citron." Hell Is Eux Autres is more than just promising -- it delivers.