Review: Various Artists – Espace Emergence
Alex Nevsky gives us the electro pop song “Milles raisons” which is quite festive. This could become a big hit with its french lyrics, English chorus and frantic beats. MC LaSauce, creates a delicious blend of hip hop, oriental music and humorous lyrics with the song “In Tha Bus”. Anyone who has gotten stuck in public transit at rush hour will certainly recognize this number.
French Kiss surprises us with the electro pop song “Le soupir”. They do not break any new ground but the song sure is catchy and could wind up on the charts. Intensive Care brings us a song which, although titled in French, is sung in English. “Le magicien” is a hovering piece of psychedelic rock where the orchestration is amazing with its guitar riffs and drum solos.
Otarie specializes in 60’s pop with a dash of kinky lyrics. Although one can find some easy puns (sur l’île de Kuni, Kuni, je n’ai qu’une idée en tête), the song “Kuni Kuni” is a pastiche of french songs and shouldn’t be taken seriously.
The band F.L.A.T. gives us some good ol’ dirty rock. In the song “Coupe le courant”, we can’t help but nod to the beat. The singer’s voice is very similar to Eric Goulet’s when he was the lead singer of the band “Les chiens”. To be able to sing very clearly over guitar riffs without getting buried by them is quite an accomplishment. It has nothing to do with the incomprehensible rhetoric of Malajube’s lead singer Julien Mineau.
Bruno Rodéo gives us a typical french country song with “Ma vieille guitare”. This is reminiscent of old country songs like Willie Lamothe’s complaints about trivial things. In this case, the song is about the theft of Bruno’s guitar. Despite the seriousness of the subject, the derision with which Bruno describes his adventures captures the spirit of the country of yesteryear. The Benoît Paradis Trio offers a number of gypsy jazz imbued with humor in the song “La Patate”. The singing is similar to that of Damien Robitaille in tone and in lyrics.
If you want to hear the best that Quebec has to offer in emerging music, you must get this album. –Nathalie Grand’Maison
Rating: 8.6/10
Translated by Nathalie Grand’Maison
