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I'm an admin, beeyotch. Joined: 08 Mar 2007 Posts: 481

Will get to later.

I'm a cool person Joined: 03 Jun 2007 Posts: 48

I highly doubt Gojira will be on this. Other than that I'm looking forward to it.

I'm an admin, beeyotch. Joined: 08 Mar 2007 Posts: 481

I don't post enough Joined: 12 Jul 2007 Posts: 7

Tease.

I'm an admin, beeyotch. Joined: 08 Mar 2007 Posts: 481

I tease because I love.

I'm an admin, beeyotch. Joined: 08 Mar 2007 Posts: 481

Recently, I picked up La Grande Messe (2004), the most recent album by popular Quebec rock band Les Cowboys Fringants. They are one of the most exciting working musical artists today, blending their unique folk sound, with their strongly worded political statements. Often times, music being ridden with political statements annoys me, because often times it's shallow and music is sacrificed for message (I'm thinking American Idiot by Green Day, although the album was ambitious and not an all out failure, they were by no means offering any new thoughts or soluations to the problem. It was mostly a whine fest against the current administration). Les Cowboys Fringants' main target is not war or a particular government, they decided to highlight current environmental issues that need to be adressed. The best segway for this is the song 8 secondes melding into Plus Rien (the highlight of the album). The first song offers facts and numbers about the current state of our world, with a focus on water. The most essential resource for our survival, the lack of it in the third world and the monopolization of it in Canada by corporations. Answering to this exploitation of resources, with a tongue in their cheek, ask what will the corporations rob from us next? The birds and the clouds? The song though is not all grim, and cynical. The last verse offers hope and insights action by the citizens to fight the crisis we are facing, and stop what is going on before it is too late.

The next song that has blends effortlessly into 8 secondes is arguably the best song of the album. I see Plus Rien going down as one of the all time greats, it offers a grim future of what may come if nothing is done. Told from the perspective of the last human on earth during the last few moments of his life, the song is beautifullly written and builds up slowly with one by one instruments coming in, and then fading back away, until an amazing musical climax towards the end. In many ways, it is much more poignant and powerful than 8 secondes. It has a beautiful reflective quality to it. The world has become a barren wasteland, the air unbreatheable and as our narrator recounts the horrors of our downfall we realise that his claims are not far fetched. Our greed and ignorance is what brings us down in the end, and that we only realised too late the wrongs of our ways when the world had all but destroyed itself. It's a song that honestly brings tears to my eyes, and everytime I finish listening to it I run around the house tightening taps and organizing my recycling. It's just a song that will hit you down, even if you cannot understand the lyrics the way the song is composed, lyrically and in terms of melody will hit you like a brick in the head.

There are few other politicized songs on the album, one is Lettre a Lesvesque, a look at sovereignty in Quebec today, how it has become a bastardization of what it originally meant. It's an interesting perspective, that too few sovereigntists are willing to address, the ideals of the Parti Quebecois and le Bloc are not what they used to. They're exploiting their message for votes, and they are not holding the best interest of the citizens in mind. Seperation is not the key to solve problems, and it is important to take care of the issues facing Quebecers before jumping the gun. They are obviously pro-seperation (an idea I personally disagree with), although they are wary and careful about what it means. They make a few scathing remarks that reference Parizeau and the failures of the 95' Referendum,

Et que pour bÃ¢tir un pays
Faudrait pas oublier d'inclure
Les citoyens des autres ethnies
Et leur culture

In itself, the idea that in the creation of a country it is important to make everyone feel wanted so that it is more than just a state but a nation. There is the added meaning though for Quebecers who still have the events clear in their minds, and the flub of Parizeau who declared shortly after the news of the failure to win the referendum that it was "l'argent puis des votes ethniques" (money and ethnic votes) that lost them the election. He went further to say that in the future le Parti Quebecois should focus solely on French speaking members of society in the cause for independence.

The album is not all messages though, a great deal of it is what the old fans would be happy to hear. The lighthearted and humour ridden music of the old days. In songs like Ti-Cul (translation, asshole) and Camping St-Germaine we have the fresh energy of the band that is almost unmatched in music today. It's lighthearted, memorable and well written. These are not your standard pop tunes, they have lasting power and something unmistakeably unique that you don't find in mainstream music. There is definite folk influence, inclusions of violins and the use of la joual (Quebec dialect of French, heavy influence of English language as well as working class sound, so to speak).

The only draw back in my eyes, is the final track "Epilogues Si Tu Penses comme ca". The rest of the album is pure gold in my eyes, mixing fun, subtlety messages and great muscial talent. The final track though is dissapointing in every regard. In this song they are heavy handed without an ounce of profondity, only reiterating their ideas presented in previous tracks without any of the skill. It isn't even catchy. Remove this song though, and you have an excellent album.

Key Tracks: Les Etoiles Filantes, Ti-Cul, Plus Rien, La Reine, Si la Vie vous Interesse

Rating (out of 4 stars): ***1/2

I'm a cool person Joined: 18 Aug 2007 Posts: 16

Other then Jean Michel Jarre and one song from Celine Dion from Asterix and Vikings my French music selection is rather low.

Hmmm perhaps a French Rammstein is needed to peak my interest.

Is there any life on this planet?