Comme Un Homme, Libre

This perfect little gem of Montreal power-pop comes replete with a tight, bilingual workout of the Go-Go’s classic Our Lips Are Sealed. It would be easy to simply classify this music as yet another riff on the early eighties. The farfisa organ and pulsing, Wire-influenced bass lines don’t help dissuade this first impression. However, one eventually starts to detect flashes of spiky, early nineties Brit-Pop here and there. Female-dominated bands like Lush, Sleeper and Elastica seem natural precursors to Comme Un Homme Libre’s sound. Hardly surprising, given that the band’s front-line of guitar, bass, and vocals is filled by Marie-Eve, Marieve and Karine, respectively. This makes for a nice change from the heavily-bearded music that has been making the rounds for much of the past two years and ensures sixteen minutes and twenty-two seconds of dancing pleasure for both girls and boys alike. (Karyn Bonham)

CD, Bonsound www.bonsound.com