Gordy the moose reviews some of his favourite new submissions to the Roots Music Canada virtual mailbox.
It should come as a surprise to no one that the latest album by Les Hey Babies is a good bit of fun with some lovely, evocative, down-tempo numbers mixed in.
The trio of indie folksters hailing from a trio of small Acadian villages in New Brunswick has been turning heads for 10 years now with its chorusy indie rock vocals and varied sonic palette that combines pop, folk and country – frequently with retro or cinematic production values.
For that, it’s been awarded four ECMAs and a CFMA and has been nominated for a slew of Felix Awards in Quebec.
Tintamarre opens with “Soyez fiers,” a song about Acadien pride with a chorus that reminds me of early ’90s Veruca Salt.
From there things get a tad twangier with the equally up-tempo “Pas façon de tomber” and the mid-tempo “Derni?è?re mais non la moindre,” one of the album’s stand-out tracks in my book and a loving ode to family.
“Miroir” is moody and ominous – the musical equivalent of a storm rolling in. “Gars de l’ile aux vaches” borrows inspiration from classic chanson.
And another stand-out is “Some People,” the only English language song on the album and a song about keeping your music career grounded close to home instead of chasing success in Nashville.
Whether singing in English or in French, Les Hey Babies’ songs lean toward the upbeat and deceptively simple, built around a few key lyrical hooks and phrases that are often visually evocative, such as the references in “On est Les Hey Babies” to being surrounded by empty Tim Horton’s cups.
The group has been popular in Europe almost since before they took off in Canada and will be touring there this fall before finally touching down in Ottawa in March of next year and doing an expansive tour of Quebec.
It would be nice to see more of them in English Canada though, so I strongly recommend checking out the new album and letting your local promoter know if you’d like to see them in your neck of the woods.
