Les Jupes

Most of the musical attention given to Canadian rock recently has been, somewhat unfairly, centred around Win Butler and his Arcade Fire travelling circus. They’re good and all, but some of Canada’s top artists might feel a bit slighted at this disproportionate coverage outwith their native lands — the latest to join this list being Les Jupes.

Les Jupes are nothing like Arcade Fire, but that doesn’t stop the associated press release making sure to mention them. Yes, ‘Modern Myths’ is produced by Marcus Paquin, who worked on the recording of Arcade Fire’s The Suburbs, but the albums couldn’t be much more different.
‘Modern Myths’ is a curious case — the album at times very much indebted to the post-punk and the early 80s, before finding itself almost verging on indie-pop. Vocalist Michael P. Falk’s low baritone lends itself to a strange Michael Gira/Ian Curtis hybrid, an uncommon find that is matched by the varying nature of the music; Les Jupes are not a band to be pigeonholed, if the mix of styles on ‘Modern Myths’ is anything to go by.

Here’s an example: Compare ‘Mathematics’, the track that’s most easily identifiable as the radio-friendly single (if there’s one to be found on this eclectic record) to opening track ‘Myth, Part 3: The Mountain’. ‘Mathematics’ boasts a sing along, almost anthemic (if ever anthems were written about a school subject most of us hated) chorus — “Mathematics is the universal language” — whilst ‘Myth, Part 3’ is fired with an urgency that implores you to listen to the rest of the album, but no discernible chorus or chant-a-long part.

It’s these contrasts that make Modern Myths one of the more exciting albums to come out of Canada in recent times. Les Jupes are unpredictable, going from softly sang folk to thundering post-punk, and this only adds to the mystique. They aren’t a band that we know a hell of a lot about, and there is still work to be done — but it’s looking promising for Les Jupes.