La Déferlance – Âmes des bois (Club MID, 2025)
La Déferlance continues to shine on Âmes des bois (Souls of the Woods), an excellent album that certifies the band as one of the finest acts in the current Quebec trad music scene.
Based in Quebec City, La Déferlance offers a joyful, boldly inventive, and contemporary take on traditional Québécois music since 2018. The group combines lively folk tunes and classic traditional songs, rearranged in its own style, with a substantial body of original compositions.
The band’s sound is characterized by beautifully crafted vocal harmonies, call and response vocals, traditional Quebecker foot percussion, fiddle, accordion and modern instruments such as the electric bass, and a certain Celtic edge.
Musicians: Mathieu Baillargeon on vocals, backing vocals, piano, podorythmie, jaw harp; Marie-Desneiges Hamel on backing vocals, accordions; Renaud Labelle on backing vocals, double bass, electric bass; Grégoire Painchaud on backing vocals, violin, guitar, mandolin.
Guest musicians: Olivier Forest on percussion (tracks 3, 5, 10); Martin Desjardins on tenor saxophone (track 6); Joel Thibault on alto saxophone (track 6); Stéphane Boulanger on trombone (track 6); Marcellin Breault on trumpet (track 6); and Dominic Painchaud on cello (track 7).
Recorded and mixed by André Lavergne (MID Studio). Mastering by Philip Gosselin (LAB Mastering).
Artwork & Design: Pier-Luc St-Germain (St-Germain Fabrique)
Buy Âmes des bois. CD available from Bandcamp.
Author: Angel Romero
Angel Romero y Ruiz has dedicated his life to musical exploration. His efforts included the creation of two online portals, worldmusiccentral.org and musicasdelmundo.com. In addition, Angel is the co-founder of the Transglobal World Music Chart, a panel of world music DJs and writers that celebrates global sounds. Furthermore, he delved into the record business, producing world music studio albums and compilations. His works have appeared on Alula Records, Ellipsis Arts, Indígena Records and Music of the World.
Thanks for the review! We worked very hard with passion for this album and we just received a nomination at the Canadian Folk Music Awards by the way. If you have any questions feel free to contact us!