In-store: Malajube

Malajube

Sonic Boom Records. Wednesday, November 25, 2009.

It's sort of a weird cultural phenomenon: every ten years or so, for one reason or another, a francophone Québec act manages to worm its way into the ROC popular culture. Which works out well enough for everyone involved — a new audience for the band, and a largely unjustified sort of sense of briser les solitudes for us maudit anglais. So, move over Harmonium and à la prochaine Mitsou — we've got Malajube now. It's easy to understand the trans-lingual appeal, with their penchant for catchy hooks, even if they do sometimes come off like a contemporary Supertramp that it's okay to like.¹

And I have liked 'em okay, in that broad realm of liking them enough to head down to the Sonic Boom basement, but not so much that I was going to head to their Horseshoe gig the following night. As is always the case with the in-store, you can never be sure what you're gonna get — maybe three or four songs and then out, maybe half the band playing acoustically. But with the band apparently having an extra day in town, and not in a rush to get over to the venue, it turned out we got a repectable eight song, thirty-five minute set.

The band led off with a trio from the new-ish Labyrinthes, starting with "Les Collemboles" and "Ursuline" and moving into "Casablanca", with its nifty synth hook. Keyb player Thomas Augustin is definitely their most distinctive sonic element, but all four members did a solid job filling out their sound.² Singer/guitarist Julien Mineau wasn't predisposed to a lot of banter — "approchez, approchez – get closer, I mean" after the first song was about as chatty as he got. But that was fine with the band moving quickly from song to song. Breakthrough album Trompe-l'oeil was represented with "Casse-cou" and "Fille à plumes", and "Porté disparu", may fave track off the new one, with its supremely catchy "non / jamais / je n'oublierais mon nom" hook³ was arguably the highlight of the set. And, of course, the band kept the ever-popular "Montréal -40°C" for near the end.

There were a few spots where, like on their albums, they got a little bit ponderous, but serving the purpose of the in-store well, I felt like I appreciated them more after hearing the songs done live. Quelle jouissance!

Listen to a track from this set here.

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¹ I realize, with the "death of uncool" and all that I suppose at some level it's okey for people to like Supertramp. But eighty-five or so per cent of my brain still instinctively says, "C'mon, Supertramp?".

² Mathieu Cournoyer had the best fashion statement of the group, with an Expos button on his bass strap.

³ Although admittedly I had to look up the tense there. "Oublierais" is present conditional, making that, what, "no, never, I can't forget my name"? Geez — you can google verb conjugations now. These kids nowadays have no excuse not to be speaking six or eight languages.