Flash de Mémoire

The concept of marrying traditional songs with heavy electronic dance music is a curious one, conjuring notions of the Pet Shop Boys performing the Steeleye Span repertoire. That it works so well in the case of this husband-and-wife act from near Montréal is due to the award-winning lusty vocals of Mélisande herself, the multi-instrumental talents of Alexandre de Grosbois-Garand and a choice selection of Québécois songs re-purposed with entirely new lyrics.

Even so, there is an inescapable sense of the Pet Shop Boys, even sometimes – in the rousing choruses of numbers like ‘V’la le Bon Vent’ – ABBA. And when de Grosbois-Garand adds his main instrument, the wooden flute, to the mix on numbers like ‘Boisson d’Avril’ and ‘Degenerations’, there’s also a hint of Afro Celt Sound System. The duo have earned themselves acclaim as a crowd-pleasing live act, and the album was conceived as ‘a nonstop dance party, from first song to the last.’ Only on the splendid ‘Belle Hirondelle’ does the relentless pace ease off a bit – and therein perhaps lies the sole reservation. If you’re not in the mood, the beats can get a little wearing unless sampled sparingly. I’d sure love to see them live, though.