Paving The Way For Francophone Indie

In a darkened room, Bonjour Brumaire’s group vocals soar above Parisian accented solo singing, all accompanied by upbeat guitar strumming and hooky piano riffs. The audience applauds and cheers as the band leaves the stage –Bonjour Brumaire’s signature brand of melodic indie rock music managed to secure them a spot in the Francouvertes’ coveted semi-finals last week.

Although they’ve only been together a year, the francophone band has managed to propel itself into the Montreal music scene’s spotlight, playing popular music festivals such as Osheaga, the Fringe Festival, POP Montreal, and winning the GAMIQ award for “Discovery of the Year.” The quintet can also claim to be the first Canadian francophone band featured on Myspace Canada’s homepage.

“The people who work for Myspace actually saw us play in Toronto,” said lead singer Youri Zaragoza. “I think they wanted to do something new and try out a francophone band on the homepage. We just got very lucky.”

This privilege also came with a special promotion enabling fans to listen to Bonjour Brumaire’s entire debut album, De La Nature des Foules, on their music page before its release.

“So many new people began listening to our music,” said lead guitarist Nathan Howard. “Many of them were from the States, so we are definitely glad for the opportunity to reach a broader audience.”

Bonjour Brumaire, formed in January 2007, is a band signed to Indica Records. They managed to record their first demo just three months after meeting and have had three number one hits on Quebec radio stations, CISM, CIBL, and CHOQ. The band consists of five members; two Anglophones, two Francophones, and one Parisian. It was the Paris native Zaragoza who came up with the band’s name.

The term “brumaire” is derived from “brume,” the French word for fog, which also refers to a month in the French Republic calendar. This obscure historical reference highlight’s the band’s academic attitude, which is also incorporated into Zaragoza’s verbose and sometimes, philosophical, lyrics.

The band’s intellectual edge is exemplified in their song “Prunelle”, when Zaragoza quips the truism, “nothing disappears, everything transforms.”

The album’s concept is also contemplative and scholarly. “I wanted to make the album a sort of sociological analysis of a city,” said Zaragoza.

On De La Nature des Foules, stories with common themes, such as love, travel, and coming of age are explored with bass, drums, guitar and organ musical arrangements. Bonjour Brumaire engages in the lighthearted, hookyness of pop, and the epic, instrumentally focused elements of prog to create their own blend of indie rock music.

Zaragoza’s subtle, yet warm vocals sometimes sound as though they’re being sung with a smile. When he’s silent, the piano busts through forcefully, its tone reminiscent of cheerful organs accompanying baseball games, while the lead guitar layers over the rhythm to make melodies that support or highlight Zaragoza’s voice, yet never detract from it.

Citing their influences as the Beatles, Led Zeppelin, Supertramp and Serge Gainsbourg, Bonjour Brumaire hopes to attain the same musical accessibility that these artists possess.

“I wanted to make the album as timeless and universal as possible,” said Zaragoza.

“Hopefully, we absorbed some of Zeppelin and the Stones’ musical magic from that mixing board,” said Howard. He clarifies, “We recorded with a mixing board that Led Zeppelin used for Physical Graffiti and the Rolling Stone’s used for Exile on Main Street.”

Despite Bonjour Brumaire’s aim to make their music universal, the band’s unique art-chic fashion sense sets them apart visually from other bands. The group is clad in high school uniform style vests and sweaters, accompanied by eccentric accents, such as floral tattoos on Zaragoza, Buddy Holly style glasses on bassist Larocque and long shorts on drummer Lessard (which he wears during all types of weather, even snow). Howard, a philosophy enthusiast, is often seen lugging around heavy Hegel bricks during interviews and band practices.

The band’s love for quirky aesthetics is also confirmed by their CD jacket artwork, done by Natalie Reis. The front cover of the album displays the image of two identical women eerily hunched forward, their dark hair slightly obscuring their pallid faces. It is something reminiscent of female ghosts from Japanese horror films.

Despite their ostentatious style, Bonjour Brumaire is seriously focused on their music and their eyes are now turned to Canada’s much-sought Polaris Music Prize.

The Polaris Music Prize is a two-year-old Canadian music award founded by former Warner Music Canada A&R Executive Steve Jordan. Polaris nominates ten artists a year for a prize of $20,000.

According to the 2006 Statistics Canada census, 48.7 per cent of Montreal’s population is francophone. However, last year the Polaris nominated five Montreal bands, none of which were francophone. While some may view this as contrary to Polaris’ official website’s statement that claims it rewards “diversity in Canadian recorded music,” Bonjour Brumaire believes that it has more to do with a lack of visibility.

“Not many francophone bands are selling their CDs across Canada,” said Zaragoza. “If people don’t see your CD, it’ll be difficult to be recognized. So we’ve tried to put ourselves out there as much as possible.”

Apart from visibility, the band believes that the accessibility of their music may also work in their favour with regards to the Polaris. “We don’t have any strong sense of Quebec nationalism, so we can focus on the music itself more and the message isn’t so narrowly targeted,” said Howard. “Our message is more focused around aesthetics and images than norms and values.”
For this reason, Bonjour Brumaire’s half anglophone, half francophone composition has proven advantageous and enabled them to reach a broader market.

“I’m able to enjoy their music because they don’t feel exclusively French,” said Anglophone fan Alysa Saliba. “Language is not barrier, it’s more about the music than the language they’re singing in.”

“Even though the odds are against us, I think we’ve got a shot at the Polaris,” said Howard. “If we can convince MySpace to give a Francophone band a chance, maybe we can do the same for the Polaris!”

Bonjour Brumaire is playing on April 24 at the Lion d’Or for the Francouvertes semi-finals. Doors are at 8 p.m.

More information at www.bonjourbrumaire.com

Written 11/04/08