Feufollet. En Couleurs.
2010. Feufollet Records.
I keep hearing that Feufollet are an “indie” Cajun band, and while it’s true that they do have a couple glockenspiel solos (no ironic beards though!) on their new album, I still think it’s a pretty different sound from most of the indie folk music I hear today (Alela Diane, The Decemberists, The Builders and the Butchers, The Cave Singers). But then again, I have a helluva time trying to put my finger on what they’re doing on their new CD, En Couleurs. It’s an all around great romp, and each of these young Cajun musicians are the real deal, growing up in the tradition and having great respect for the sources. So I’ve got nothing but love for them, I’m just confused as to how to best label their new music. Chris Stafford of Feufollet has labeled the music “Cajun pop” and I love this idea. But I think I’d have to go with “Cajun Folk Rock”, emphasis on rock.
Plenty of Cajun bands have tried to cross over to the world of folk rock and very few have been successful. The choppy rhythms and rough beats of Cajun music don’t translate well to rock, unless you go towards country and honky-tonk, both of which have been excellent crossover points for Cajuns. The reason Feufollet succeed so well is that they’re able to strip out the alchemical elements of Cajun music and dress them up in different clothes without losing sight of the music’s core. So they can cruise through a Beatles-esque production (complete w/cool brass riffs) like “Les Jours Sont Longs”, but still sound like they’d rock it on a Louisiana dancefloor. They can nail an a cappella ballad like “Assis dans la fenêtre de ma chamber”, originally recorded by Blind Uncle Gaspard (best band name ever) and later popularized by T-Bone Burnett and Alison Krauss in the soundtrack to the Ya-Ya Sisterhood movie, with an assurance that’s remarkable for such young traditional musicians. They understand the hard edge that makes Cajun music some of the creepiest music in the South (“Au Fond du Lac” and the otherworldly “La Valse de Gene Billeaudeaux”) and they understand the soft side of Cajun songs, which gets far too little attention (Dennis McGee’s “Valse du Vacher”). And really the bottom line here is that this is their music and reflects their lives. It doesn’t sound old or trapped in tradition, but alive and beautiful and vibrant. Kudos to Feufollet for bringing out such life in this music.
The beautiful song, “Au Fond du Lac”, was written in Cajun French by Anna-Laura Edmiston, one of the best living Cajun singers. Her voice is so soft and beautiful and it only sweetens the deal to learn that she’s fluent in Cajun French and writes in this language, thereby freshening the pot of Cajun song. “Au Fond du Lac” not only sounds amazing, but it’s a modern masterpiece of traditional Cajun French songwriting.
PS: Just saw a quote from Elvis Costello about how much he likes this track. Seriously. You’re not gonna argue with him, now are you?
NOTE: This post originally appeard on Hearth Music’s Blog with streaming audio. Since Feufollet were just nominated for a Cajun & Zydeco Grammy, we thought it would be fun to put it up on No Depression.
