Les Sans Culottes

A cheesy New York shtick band honoring/lampooning sleazy French “ye-ye’ pop from the ’60s could be easy to write off. After all, the sex-kitten vocalist is named Celine Dijon. The bassist is Jean Luc Retard. The band’s name itself—Les Sans Culottes—means “those without undergarments.” You couldn’t find a higher kitsch factor in an East Village ruffle tux rental shop. But while Les Sans might be a large tongue in the collective French ass cheek, their garage rock guitar, bouncy pop, and organ-laced rave-ups are seriously infectious. Just like the B-52s cracked a smile in the New York punk scene, Celine Dijon’s phenomenally cheap accent and Catholic schoolgirl outfits add fun-time libido to the alt-rock of today.