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were recorded by Radio Canada at the Festival
Mémoire Et Racines à Joliette. They were able
to present their show, Dans Les Airs, which
they performed with such notable success dur-
ing their UK tour earlier this year. For this con-
cert, they were joined for the final numbers by
some musical friends who were also appearing
at the festival, and this provides an uplifting
pair of final tracks in an album that is already
tingling with excitement.
The band has an amazing amount going
for it with all four being fine singers and
multi-instrumentalists and a tight, controlled
attack on all aspects of their repertoire with
the punch coming from the combination of
the fiddle playing of Olivier Demars with
either of the box players – Nicolas Boulerice
on piano accordeon or Rejean Brunet on dia-
tonic accordeon – with the other swapping
to piano accompaniment when not playing
the lead. Another notable contribution
comes from Nicolas when he plays the vielle
à roué, which is strongly associated with
French traditional music but much less so
with French-Canadian music.
Meanwhile, the band will be undertak-
ing a heavy touring schedule in North Ameri-
ca and Europe for the rest of this year which
includes a return to the UK in July.
www.leventdunord.com; in the UK via
Proper:
www.properdistribution.com
Vic Smith
LHASA
Lhasa Warner 2564690483
Lhasa de Sela gets compared to Tom Waits,
Nick Cave, and Edith Piaf, and placed in a line
Photo: Philip Ryalls
with ‘elder sisters’ Björk, Billie Holiday and
Chavela Vargas – what a lot of names! Ulti-
mately, while it may help people place her,
she’s a unique artist, her metier delving
deeply into the fragile inner world of the
mind and feelings in ways that strips them
often uncomfortably naked.
Lhasa
She follows the 100% craftspersonship
of The Living Road, when even the drawings
of the cover and booklet were her own, with
of death and rebirth in life and love. Accompa- With the EU now looking to extend music
a more conventional record-company-style
nied only by stark piano it seems pivotal, and copyright law from 50 to 70 years, both Prop-
packaged disc. Still, while the witty line
as the penultimate song here, seems to take er and Snapper may be feeling a bit nervous,
drawings of dancing people with magical
on board everything Lhasa has sung so far. all the CDs reviewed here relying on public
swan, lion, zebra, deer and bear heads doing
The music moves from delicate single
domain for their existence. Perhaps the new
tango and couple-dances that illustrate the
piano notes to blues-tinged Americana. Sub-
law looming is why there is such a burst of
booklet of lyrics add a playful, mischievous
jects are intense: What Kind Of Heart cap-
activity with all these Roots Of compilations.
flavour, it has to be said that to my ear the
tures a brooding nightmare; Fools’ Gold, the
Then again, many of the songs gathered
songs are ultimately darker than the previ-
end of love with a roving man; Bells, a state across said albums are close to or over the 70-
ous set. Perhaps this impression comes from
of suffocating stasis; as does 1001 Nights with year remit. Anyway, all this is negligible right
the fact that this clutch of songs have come
its deep underwater metal sounds. The Lone- now so let’s consider what is on offer.
to de Sela all in English, so there is nothing
ly Spider has wonderful movement. Lhasa is a
With recession engulfing the world, a 3-
here in Spanish or French as previously. I
master songwriter of cathartic process rather
CD set of American protest songs from the
often find hearing songs in languages that
than solution. The overall feel is liberating
1930s and ‘40s makes absolute sense. Woody
are not my own, even if I speak them, adds
although it’s slower, more drawn out even,
Guthrie features strongly here – as would be
an air of mystery (totally subjective ok!).
with fewer of the wilder, joyful moments of
expected – alongside Josh White, Leadbelly,
Lhasa has an extraordinary ability to
The Living Road. Still, the bluesy humming
The Almanac Singers, Pete Seeger and even
poetically distil experiences and thoughts
that completes the final Anyone And Every-
legendary activist-songwriter-martyr Joe Hill.
into sound. Some are fabulously inspired by
one is undoubtedly mellow!
For Dylan fans or anyone interested in an era
dreams like A Fish On Land, about a fish that
http://lhasadesela.com when protest songs really carried weight, this
turns into a man. Others articulate inner fears
Jan Fairley
is a good package and very reasonably priced
of discrepancy that flit through the mind,
(as are all the CDs reviewed). A pity Proper
such as when you think that what people are
didn’t spend a bit more money and license
seeing and what you are feeling do not con-
VARIOUS ARTISTS
some more contemporary material – one
cur: in Is Anything Wrong, she sings, “People
thinks of NWA’s Fuck The Police being rele-
outside/ They know just what to do/ They
The Little Red Box Of Protest Songs vant post-G20 protests.
look at me/ And they think that I know too”.
Proper Box 147
The Roots Of series is aimed at the Mojo-
Just like many creative artists often paint-
The Roots Of The White Stripes Snapper
reading rock fan who sees his hero mentioning
ed the same subject or theme over and over at
Music SBLUECD 063
their favourite blues/ country/ rock ‘n’ roll
different times of the day and season, so heroes and fancies a taster. When I was a
Lhasa, despite writing different lyrics, creates The Roots Of The Black Crowes Snapper teenage Stones/ Gun Club fan in the early-80s,
songs here that echo those on The Living Music SBLUECD 065 I had to sift through second-hand bins to try
Road. Yet if you juxtapose the ones you think and find 1960s-era reissue albums, so this man-
are similar (as I did) they are more than subtly
The Roots Of Nick Cave Snapper Music
ner of packaging the music as compilations is
different. Ultimately, though, they link deeply
SBLUECD 064
certainly very fan friendly. A perfect example
in essence: the essence of how we move
The Roots Of The Byrds Snapper Music
of how these CDs work is in the disc dedicated
through life often painfully, even if we distract
SBLUECD 067
to the most recent supergroup featured here,
ourselves from thinking so. I’m Going In is the The White Stripes: a diligent fan who loves The
tour de force, with its philosophical message The Roots Of Led Zeppelin Proper Box 149 White Stripes is probably aware when they
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