Conventum

Michel McLean (guitar, ex-Les Karrik) and Pierre Moreau write most of the music for L'Engoulevent, and the core band is completed by Francoise Turcotte (violin) and Russel Cagnon (cello). They are aided by a number of musicians from Conventum, as well as McLean's old Les Karrik cohort Claude LaFrance on one track. Their first album was entitled "L'Ile Ou Vivent Les Loups", and was released on the Le Tamanour label in 1977. Roughly half the tracks are instrumental, and the vocal tracks are done in a folk style but are not traditional pieces. Perhaps because half the core band is employed on string instruments, there is both an exquisite beauty and contrapuntal richness to much of the music. There can sometimes be three semi-independent, but mutually supportive, harmonic lines going at once…

Those people aware of one of Quebec's seminal group Contraction (which came from Frank Dervieux's heritage), should be aware of bassist Laferrière's important role in the group. While not the only person carrying the group, he was actually a bit surprising that he would be the only ex-Contraction member to release solo albums (there is a second one dating from the 80's), but this solo album is much worthy of the proghead's ear.
Graced with a star-studded guest (from Harmonium to Orchestre Sympathique and from Pollen to Conventum), the album develops a JR/F that is not that far from what Contraction was doing. This feeling is reinforced with ex-Contraction vocalist Monique Fauteux laying out her vocals generously throughout the album…

1969-1971 (2007). Of the first of Lasting Weep's two posthumous releases of, this one is actually the only one that could be regarded as their only testament, made from five recording sessions between 1969 and 1971, two of them for soundtracks to films or images. LW was made up of future Quebecois greats flutist/saxophonist Bergeron and multi-instrumentalist Langlois (both future Maneige), drummer Mathieu Leger (future Conventum and l'Orchestre Sympathique) and bassist Chapleau (found as a session musician on a lot of 70's records). Apparently these archives were found in one of musician's attic; and most thankfully these tapes can be finally made public…