Territoires

Québécois supergroup Le Vent du Nord return with their tenth album having recently become a quintet with the addition of fiddle player André Brunet. Much else is the same, and thankfully so: great tunes, both composed and sourced from across Francophone Canada, top instrumental performances of tight arrangements, and – most importantly – much joie de vivre. There are fine dances, such as ‘Le Step à Alexis’, by the band's newest member, with whirling unison button accordion and fiddle, foot-stomping percussion and bouncing piano. Close-harmony singing and call-and-response vocals, always in French, remain a hallmark of Le Vent du Nord's mix. ‘Louisbourg’, an a capella number, recounting the first loss of a French-held city in North America and sourced from a ‘song keeper’ from Cape Breton Island, is particularly evocative. My favourite pieces, though, are by an Acadian musician, George Comeau of Comeauville.

The third of his tunes, ‘Au Régiment’, is given a masterful contemporary treatment by the band, with drone-like backing vocals and splashy, jazzy piano accompaniment developing into an unstoppable anthem. Territoires closes in reflective mood, however – an instrumental love letter (‘Côte-Nord’) to the land this band so fervently loves.