Following in the footsteps of
Miike Snow, French synth pop producers Guillaume Briere and Benjamin Lebeau (
Shakira), aka
the Shoes, stepped out from behind the mixing desk to become artists in their own right with their debut album,
Crack My Bones. Compared to the likes of
Calvin Harris,
Hot Chip, and
Klaxons, its ten indie-disco tracks include several guest appearances from
the Bewitched Hands ("The Wolf Under the Moon," "Time to Dance," the title track) alongside collaborations with British vocalists
Cocknbullkid ("Cliché"),
Esser ("Stay the Same"), and
Primary 1 ("People Movin'"). ~ Jon O'Brien