I have a problem. My ankles are tired from tapping my toes, my cheeks are sore from grinning to a fault, and my ears practically are bleeding and pleading for me to turn down the volume. But alas, I just can’t.

The blame rests with Axe Riverboy of Paris, France.

You, as well as the rest of the American population, have little (banking on zero) idea who he is, but he is responsible for some of the most infectious, perfect pop music to ever grace my exhausted ears. Ever.

Axe Riverboy is the side project of Xavier Boyer, lead singer of the wholly underrated French indie-pop group Tahiti 80. Creative to the core, the title of this alter-ego is an anagram of his given name. I have listened to his single “Roundabout” no less than 200 times in the last week since discovering it through a dear friend, and the rest of the album follows suit with excellent pop powerhouses that both rock out and relax the listener.

Once I spun his album a couple of times, I, like other Americans, began to agree with the stereotypical notion that the French are generally terrible people. Why?

Because I just can’t turn it off. The songs are so sweet they haunt me in my sleep. I am completely baffled by how this Parisian has produced the most refreshing-yet-comfortable compilation in my recent memory.

It’s beyond me how music so exceedingly approachable and enjoyable is so far off the American radar. Once Boyer breaks, he has the potential to be as big to Americans as Peter, Bjorn & John were with the whistle-washed “Young Folks” in 2007. He could be France’s answer to Mika, all the while baffling songsmiths in the States by taking pages directly from the playbooks of writers like Fountains of Wayne’s Adam Schlesinger or Semisonic’s Dan Wilson – two of our country’s most underrated. Add in all the allure of French friends Sondre Lerche and Phoenix, as well as an adorable homemade music video live from his loft in Paris available on YouTube – and Axe Riverboy embodies an anomaly you need to know about.

And to boot – there’s a big and very real reason why Athenians should turn their attention to his tunes. Boyer debuted as Axe Riverboy whilst parading in the streets of Paris with none other than Of Montreal. The union was filmed this summer as part of French Web site La Blogotheque’s “Take Away Show” series, a Web- based concert collective with bands literally taking it to the streets and the site’s cameras rolling. Two takes can be found on the site, as well as by searching on Pitchfork – one featuring covers of songs by The Zombies and David Bowie, and one with Of Montreal performing an acoustic rendition of “Wraith Pinned to the Mist…” and Axe Riverboy’s “Roundabout.”

Music fans of all shapes and sizes will be thanking their lucky stars that the domestic drop of the album “Tutu To Tango” finally occurred – it was only available in Japan and France until recently. Be careful what you wish for, though. If you’re anything like me, you won’t be able to quit t-t-t-toe-tapping along, too.

- Sami Promisloff