Les Breastfeeders – Les Matins De Grands Soirs

Who Needs Sensible Lyrics?

Is it possible to enjoy music without understanding the lyrics? When the music in question is from Quebecois-French, pop-punk Montreal band Les Breastfeeders’ sophomore album, Les matins de grands soirs (the mornings of the great evenings), the answer is a resounding yes.Les Breastfeeders is a five-piece garage group. With two lead singers, Luc Brien and Suzie McLelove, the tracks vary between mod-rock and a revamped 1960s French yé-yé due to the different vocal styles of each singer. “Funny Funiculaire” (pronounced “foo-nee foo-nick-cu-lair”) is one of several tracks where Suzie McLelove does the primary vocal work, and it is infectiously charming. Her voice conveys innocence and joy with every word.

“Septembre sous la pluie” (September in the rain) features the most unique instrumentation on the album with a bagpipe weaving through guitars creating an exotic melody line, almost like a snake charmer with his pungi. As “Septembre” draws to a close, it becomes increasingly dissonant until finally ending cold.

While the melodies of the songs found on this album are not complex, they are catchy and beg the listener to rock along, a difficult feat with the language barrier. But thanks to the clever use of occasional nonsensical lyrics – “Bah-bah-bah-bah-bah-bah-ba,” a significant lyric in “Septembre” – one can occasionally sing along.

The main frustration for an American audience will not come from a lack of understanding of words, but in a lack of understanding their phonetics and in the inability to sing along because of it. But the music is strong, and if a few adventurous listeners can get past the non-English lyrics (and the band’s name), they are in for a rollicking good time.