On this pretty downstream drift, the French Kicks seem closer to committing to the dreamy pop sound that once estranged them from their gritty New York brethren. To save themselves from the sneaking accusation that they were fizzling out, the quartet self-produced and -mixed "Swimming," and the result is an album notably more laid-back and truer to their wistful personalities than 2006's "Two Thousand." Tracks like "Said So What," "The Way You Arrive" and "All Our Weekends" float on heavily repeated choruses and far-away-sounding vocals. As has become its signature, the band only just escapes tedium by the grace of dynamics, peppering the music with enough military drumbeats and swirling harmonies to offset the droning vocals and give the songs definition. "Swimming" is a step in the right direction, but it's still a little too pale to stand out in a crowd.—Lavinia Jones White