This review first appeared in the September 2016 issue of Life in Québec Magazine.
Life in Quebec Magazine is a lifestyle publication covering Quebec and is published 4 times per year.
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Review by William Alexandros
Artist: Chambarde
Album: C’est Capoté
Price: $7.00 (digital), $19.83 (CD)
Label: Independent
Chambarde is a four-member band formed in 2011. The band, from the Saguenay, identifies with the renewal of socially charged modern folk music in Québec. C’est Capoté is their first full-length album.
Their style will immediately feel similar to fans of Les Colocs and other modern folk bands of the late 1990s and early 2000s.
The band’s musical arrangements are upbeat and festive, making full use of harmonica and fiddle as well as guitar and drums. Unfortunately, most songs suffer from the lack of a solid bass background, giving them a slightly flat feel.
It’s hard to say if the music holds water on its own without the vocals. Fortunately, the vocals are excellent; lead singer Jean-Sébastien Gasnier delivers cutting lyrics with a clear skill for poetic performance.
True to the group’s calling, the lyrics are in the same vein as those of Les Cowboys Fringants , exploring themes of sovereignty (“Chambarde”), modern feminism (“Génération Germaine”), and, perhaps inevitably, childhood experiences with the Catholic Church (“À La Messe”).
If you’re not a fan of socially folk music, this might not be for you. Otherwise, Chambarde is worth a follow on Bandcamp.
Review by William Alexandros
Listen to Chambade here:
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