A bit Lost in Translation and Transit.
The Acadian trio Les Hay Babies are releasing their fourth studio album following ‘Boît aux lettres’ (Mailbox) in 2020. An indie folk trio, women of New Brunswick origin, comprising of Julie Aubé, Vivianne Roy and Katrine Noël, the trio share lead vocals, mostly sung in French, and guitars are plugged in, mostly playing straightforward, simple arrangements. “A festive exploration of pan-Acadian connections and an ode to affirmation, manufactured in Louisiana from New Brunswick components”. So says the PR blurb. Does it deliver?
Tintamarre is an Acadian tradition of marching through one’s community and making noise. During a particularly bad winter in 2023, the band decided to travel down to Louisiana, to be among fellow French-speaking Acadians and write the ten tracks that became ‘Tintamarre’. These are tracks inspired by the roots rock of Louisiana jukeboxes.
On return to New Brunswick, ‘Tintamarre’ was recorded at Studio La Grosse Rose during January 2024. The music is fun, but maybe not as Cajan infused as promoted. Guitarist Mico Roy and drummer Marc-André Belliveau are called upon once again. Katrine Noël’s bass playing is great throughout and together they make a fine noise.
There is definitely a celebratory feel to most of the tracks but the lyrics are a stumbling block to this Pan-Acadian pride reaching a wider audience. The ones on Bandcamp are probably badly translated using AI but nonetheless some of the subject matter is most bizarre. The album begins with a couple of pop-rockers, ‘Soyez fiers’ (Be Proud) and ‘Pas façon de tomber’ (No Way To Fall). There then follows some evocative-sounding, down-tempo tracks, ‘Dernière mais non la moindre’ (Last But Not Least) and ‘Miroir’. ‘Some People’ is more upbeat and accessible, not just because it is sung in English. Viviane Roy sings, “Some people spend their lives tryin’ to make a name/ Workin’ on new songs but every tune turns out the same/ They seem to forget the legends they hold dear/ Often came from a nowhere like here”. ‘Entre le chien et le loup’ (Between the Dog and the Wolf) is interesting, suggestive of prevailing cultural sexism and how the band deals with it. The penultimate track is almost a tongue-in-cheek, sassy-sounding theme tune, that surely must now be the opener to any live set.
The trio are obviously proud of their Acadian roots. Indeed, Les Hay Babies have already established a reputation in the Acadian community and the French speaking world. Maybe that’s enough to celebrate.
