Wednesday, February 16, 2011

Les Jupes - Modern Myths and a Couple of Modern Mp3s


I've been meaning to write about Les Jupes for a couple of months, and since the last two posts have revolved around two Head in the Sand artists, I decided to keep the roll going. And I think the decision make sense as head Jupes-man Michael Petkau Falk runs Head in the Sand, as well as being the Artistic Director of the West End Cultural Centre. He's also the guy who has played guitar, keys and trumpet in the WCMA-winning Liptonians and co-produced their new album, as well as producing the Record of the Week Club.

So Petkau Falk is all over the music community here in sunny Winnipeg. Les Jupes' debut album Modern Myths was released January 11, and like all Head in the Sand releases I've encountered, it's an intriguing blend of musical styles, in this case pop, indie rock, folk, maybe even some electro touches. Petkau's warm baritone sets the band apart, especially because he doesn't always use it to convey melancholia (Tindersticks and The National do it par excellence already, right?). And I love the way he sings lyrics like "Mathematics is the universal language" (Mathematics).

01 Myth #3 (The Mountain) by Les Jupes

05 This Place Owes Us by Les Jupes

Upcoming Les Jupes shows:

Mar 10 le Cagibi - Montréal, Quebec, CANADA
Mar 11 The Garrison - Toronto, Ontario, CANADA
Mar 12 Jimmy Jazz - Guelph, Ontario , CA
Mar 13 The Phog Lounge - Windsor, Ontario, CANADA
Mar 16 SXSW - Austin, Texas
Mar 17 SXSW - Austin, Texas
Mar 18 SXSW - Austin, Texas
Mar 19 SXSW - Austin, Texas

Buy Les Jupes here.

By the way, Head in the Sand artist Royal Canoe's Today We're Believers was intro'd by me on CBC Radio 3's Track of the Day on Valentine's Day. You can listen to the brief podcast here.

Hey! Leave a comment, for gosh sake.

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