Search - Cowboys Fringants :: Grand Messe

Amazing Quebec-Grown Music With a Unique Style :: Bienvenue

Amanda | North America | 08/01/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"As an American living in Quebec for the past four years, I've developed a taste for the sublime artistry of Quebecois music, film, and television. Les Cowboys Fringants are probably the best discovery I've made while here.



Les Cowboys Fringants is an extremely popular band in Quebec and apparently has an underground following in Francophone Europe, but like most talented Quebecois artists, they are virtually unknown outside of the Francophone music world. It's a shame since Quebec has many artists, like Les Cowboys Fringants, who have sublime talent and who could potentially revolutionalize the bland popular music scene in the States right now.



"La Grand Messe" ("The Big Mass") is their latest album, and it's been one of the top 10 sellers in Quebec since its release in October 2005. What makes their style of music so unique is difficult for an American to describe... it's called neo-traditional Quebecois music which is basically "modernized Quebec folk music with a rock flavour" (thanks, Wikipedia). Quebec folk music can best be described as Amelie soundtrack meets deep-South country music meets fiddling from Ireland and Scotland; certainly fiddles, accordions, and a variety of instruments including the standard rock drums/guitars/keyboards make up their sound. Basically, it has a unique sound that draws on some of the prettiest traditional music styles and makes great use of beautiful string instruments and reworks the overall sound into something unique, modern, and fresh; a sound that is warm, comfortable, yet intriguing. As I listen I feel like I should be sitting in a cafe in the middle of a small Quebecois town somewhere, having a stack of pancakes and some beer surrounded by people chattering away in French. When I'm away from Montreal back in the States, I find myself listening to this CD just to feel like I'm back in Quebec. Les Cowboys Fringants sing with a distinct Quebec accent and make use of Joual (Quebecois patois) words and phrases, so even the singing has a unique sound.



The lyrics themselves, I assure you, are just as smart as the music. "Les Cowboys Fringants" are well known for using political themes in their music, yet in a way that is friendly rather than accusatory or angry. They are very leftist and constantly touch upon issues of Quebec separatism, socialism, the environment, the international political climate, etc. These opinions tend to reflect some of the more popular or poignant ideological currents in Quebec society; some of these themes have gradually faded or gone out of style in mainstream Quebec but are making a slight resurgence amongst new generations.



This CD is highly recommended for anyone who loves a little something different. Each sound has a slightly different flavour; some you'd swear you were listening to very traditional country music, others are very rock-n-roll, others are sweet and flowery, others sound like they could almost be Sufjan Stevens-meets-Amelie sountrack, and all are completely unique and impossible to properly describe to anyone who hasn't listened to it yet. Since they are a popular and uniquely Quebecois band, this is a CD definitely worth adding to a collection of international or Francophone music. I'd also highly recommend this CD to any French teacher; any French classroom should have some Quebec music, too! This is also the CD for anyone who spent some time in Quebec or vacationed in Montreal (as there are tons of references to places in Quebec and Montreal in this CD... it will bring back happy memories of your summer in Quebec!) Most of all... I'd recommend anyone who is generally discouraged with the music coming out of the States these days and has resigned themselves to looking elsewhere for their music collection. If you're one of those folks: look no further than Quebec!"

Les Cowboys encore à l'oeuvre

J. Gauvin | Montréal | 12/25/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Probablement leur meilleur album à date. Il est plus sérieux, plus axé sur la critique sociale, mais pour la première fois, cette critique est nuancée. Comme l'a dit Marie-Annick : "Nous voulions critiquer oui, mais également offrir une solution, c'était ça le défi". Je crois que cette citation résume bien l'album. Quelques pièces sont toujours aussi louffoques que les Léopold et Awikatchikaen, mais sans être aussi excellentes. Ces pièces sont "Symphonie pour Caza" et "Camping Ste-Germaine". Pour les autres, elles sont toutes aussi percutantes les unes que les autres. Sur l'aspect politique, "En attendant" reste supérieure aux autres, à mon avis, mais Plus Rien et La Grand-Messe sont toute aussi excellente. Bref, toutes les pieces sont excellente. Je l'ai aimé à la premiere ecoute. Cet album et un must pour tous les Québécois soucieux de leur pays (ou province selon Ottawa)."

Encore un excellent album !

Fabrice Jallageas | Paris, France | 05/07/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"En un mot, excellent !! Les Cousins Québecois nous ont encore pondu un bon album.
Avec quelques futurs tubes en puissance, tels que "8 secondes", "Les Etoiles filantes", "Plus rien"...Un album que j'écoute avec nostalgie, qui donne envie de repartir en vacances en "Belle Province".
Les groupes Français feraient bien de s'inspirer de ce super groupe."