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Montreal seems to have more than its fair share of angel-voiced men making dreamy, melodic indie pop (Patrick Watson, Alexandre Desilets, and Karkwa to name but a few).

You can go ahead and add Éléphantine to that list.

Like the aforementioned bands, Éléphantine are literate and assured, creating atmospheric, textured and emotionally intense songs.

So far they've put out just one EP, entitled Sous le règne des lampadaires. It's a slow burner, full of yearning and beautifully layered melodies.

If this is the entrée, I'm more than ready for the main! Luckily, the band are slated to release a full length album in the winter of 2009.

Here's a taste for now, then:

Éléphantine - "Un attente d'un moment présent"


[Éléphantine - MySpace] [Buy Éléphantine's music - Blue Tracks]

Labels: Alternative, Elephantine, Indie, Pop, Quebecois

Here in these parts, things have taken a sharp turn for the froide.

L'hiver is breathing icily down our necks, but I have a trick to keep away those winter blues.

It's called Alfa Rococo.

Alfa Rococo have been making all kinds of waves here in Québec -- winning awards and generally charming the socks off folks left, right and centre.

They specialize in inordinately catchy, absurdly enjoyable pop confectionery.

So here's a taste -- I swear it'll make you long for the beach, flip flops and a cool beer on a hot summer day...





[Alfa Rococo - MySpace] [Alfa Rococo website]

Labels: Alfa Rococo, Pop, Quebecois

Take flight through Montreal as a papillon...

A stunningly beautiful song, and equally mesmerizing video, from über talented Montrealer Alexandre Désilets:

You can see the 'making of' here. Well worth checking out. Love all the little Montreal details.

[Alexandre Désilets - MySpace]

Labels: Alexandre Désilets, Electronica, Pop, Quebecois

Montreal band Pas Chic Chic has been getting some rapturous press of late, both locally and nationally.

They're often been compared to Arcade Fire, and even though their sound is quite different, they more than merit the comparison because of their energy and their magpie ability to steal from all kinds of music genres to create something completely unique and exciting.

Front man Roger Tellier-Craig talks about his early inspiration for the band:

I wanted to do a band like this for a very long time. When I was around 18 years old and barely playing an instrument, I first heard Serge Gainsbourg. I had been listening to a lot of Anglophone music before that, stuff like My Bloody Valentine, Sonic Youth, the Velvet Underground and Brian Eno and I have to admit that at the time I thought all francophone music was shit ... Stereolab first showed me you could sing in French and make interesting music, but when I heard Gainsbourg I realized that there was a history of French music I had never heard of through radio or TV... [more]

Pas Chic Chic is certainly creating a buzz about town. I just hope audiences outside of Montreal, and Canada, will get to hear this extraordinary band.

Here's "Haydée Morcelée" from their latest album Au Contraire:



[Pas Chic Chic - MySpace] [Band website] [eMusic]

Labels: Experimental, Indie, Pop, Quebecois

KARKWA HAS A NEW ALBUM OUT!

Oops, was I shouting? I'm feeling somewhat discombobulated. Where the hell have I been? Karkwa has a new album out.

I have this terrible habit with music -- when I love a band, I will thrash their music until I categorically cannot listen to them ever again. (Or not until they've put out new material, at least. And yes, I do realise that this is some kind of failing on my part.)

I have had Karkwa's album, Les tremblements s’immobilisent, on fairly constant iPod rotation for the past year, however, and it has withstood such treatment remarkably well.

I love Les tremblements. It's so fluid and accomplished and intricate, full of dark, moving, complex melodies. It still has the power to give me a rush of adrenaline and to leave me transfixed and elated.

If their latest is even half as good, I'll be a happy camper.

I am rushing out now to buy the new(ish) album, but I leave you with "L'épaule froide" and "La fuite":



[Karkwa - MySpace] [Band website]

Labels: Indie, Karkwa, Quebecois, Rock

Sometimes you randomly stumble across an artist who makes you sit up and pay attention, tout de suite-like.

You find them, sans hype, sans information, and they blow your mind so thoroughly you immediately want to run out and tell everyone you know.

L'indice is just such a discovery for me.

All I know about this bloke is that his name is Vincent Blain, he's based in Montreal and has worked in the past with artists like Navet Confit, Lynda Lemay and Alexandre Champigny.

He's also up as a semi-finalist for this year's edition of Francovertes (for which I wish him all the merde).

I don't know how to describe his music. Sonorous electronica? Extraordinarily accomplished?

Well, anyway -- listen, you can decide -- here's "Petite épopée" and "Deux sang" from Démo:



[L'indice - MySpace]

Labels: Electronica, Indie, Quebecois

Please let me clarify: Pascale Picard is not annoying.

Far from it.

I would, in fact, be more likely to use adjectives like: "Charming". "Talented". "Hot" could be another one. (Well, what? I'm just saying.)

"Annoying" is, of course, the title of one of Picard's songs from her debut album Me, Myself and Us.

Picard is one of the rising stars of the Quebec music scene (her album went platinum mere months after its release), and although her sound verges on being a little too mainstream for my personal taste, I believe she has enormous talent and appeal. I hope and she and her band manage to crack the wider North American (and European) markets.

Her biggest single is probably the lovely "Gate 22", and watching the video, I couldn't shake the feeling that she looks like a cross between Anika Moa and the Quin Sisters. (Her music is much closer in style to Anika Moa, than Tegan and Sara, though.)

The tune "Annoying" has a harder, rockier edge than the majority of the tracks on Me, Myself and Us. The cascading guitars and out-and-out vitriol make it, by far, my favourite track on the album.






[Pascale Picard - MySpace] [The Pascale Picard Band website]

Labels: Pop, Quebecois

The songs of Franco-Ontarian Damien Robitaille are intelligent, exuberant, disarming little pop gems.

And once lodged in your head, they will haunt you relentlessly.

You'll wake up in the morning only to realize your brain has been singing "Je tombe" all night long. And you'll continue to sing it all through the following day. And night. And day.

Well, you get the picture.

And despite the fact that my french is pretty horrible, even I can hear that he has a way with words. His lyrics are fresh, clever and often very funny.

My favourite tune from his latest album (L'homme qui me ressemble), is "Mètre de mon être".

In the song he literally measures out the parameters of his existence. He starts with his head, (which measures 25 cm²), and expands out from there -- to his bedroom, city, planet -- until he ends with his imagination, which measures infinity (or une éternité).

The circular lyrics looping through the verse and chorus are so simple, and perfect, and gorgeous.

I love this guy.

Here's "Mètre de mon être" and "Je tombe":



[Damien Robitaille - MySpace]

Labels: Folk, Francofolie, Pop, Quebecois