This is an excerpt from the print edition of Dirty Linen Magazine #99 (April / May 2002). The magazine is available on newsstands and by subscription.

Là-bas au Nord
Recent folk from Québec
by Steve Winick

Mesdames et Messieurs, on va vous présenter çe soir...

...some of the best recent folk releases from Québec, a region whose music blends Celtic fiddle tunes, old French ballads, and recent songs about life in the frozen north. Button up your overcoats!

The members of Entourloupe have been at the forefront of Québec's folk scene for years; they've played in such bands as Le Rêve du Diable, Manigance, and Jeter le Pont, and alongside such masters as Aimé Gagnon and Yvon Mimeault. After almost a century of collective experience, they know what makes an interesting arrangement — even when it's as simple as fiddle and accordion playing in unison, with nimble acoustic guitar chording behind them. Their second album, Les Choux Pis Des Melons [Minuit Dans la Cuisine MINCD-ENT112000 (2000)], finds them using their skills as musicians and arrangers to wonderful effect; sometimes, the band's two fiddlers find catchy hooks to pull you into their songs, while at other times the accordion and its airy lift takes the fore. Light, jaunty swing enlivens the setting of "Allons à L'Expo," a clever, humorous ditty from the "famille soucy" about the 1967 Expo that put Montreal on the map of global tourist destinations. Claude Methé sings the moody ballad "Là-Bas en Haut" with a sweet, albeit minimal, accompaniment from the group, while Paul Marchand's earthier, more nasal voice leads on lively songs like "Tout le Long du Bois" and "C'est Une Jardiniere," both call-and-response songs from the heart of Québec's tradition. On instrumentals, the doubled fiddles yield a tough, brawny sound, one- and three-row button accordions add rich harmonics, and guitar provides propulsive accompaniments. Occasionally, a mandola contributes a delicate touch, or a piano adds punch. Always, of course, there are the tapping feet so prevalent in Québec music, beating out their quick triplets. It's an exciting sound, and it makes Les Choux Pis Des Melons worth many listens.