Karkwa's latest album, Le Volume du vent, was composed while the group were on a high after winning the prestigious Prix Félix-Leclerc in Quebec in 2006. The songs on the album deal with a range of topical issues such as urban living, social tensions and the pursuit of personal happiness. Lyrics are set against an atmospheric background of vocal harmonies and carefully-crafted arrangements which have evoked past comparisons with Radiohead. The Quebec fivesome have honed their sound to even greater perfection on their latest offering. And they show off their musical prowess on introspective ballads such as Mieux respirer as well as feistier rock numbers such as Le compteur.

The fivesome - Louis-Jean Cormier, Stéphane Bergeron, François Lafontaine, Martin Lamontagne and Julien Sagot - have been playing together for more than a decade now. And they have explored a broad range of musical styles since the release of their debut album, Le Pensionnat des établis, before achieving the current excellence of Le Volume du vent. This latest offering is not only outstanding for its unusual fusion of rock and chanson, but in its masterly juxtaposition of vocals and the way voices are used on the same level as other instruments.

Since its release in Quebec in 2008, Le Volume du vent has catapulted Karkwa to the forefront of Quebec's music scene. The band have recently scooped a series of top awards on both the indie scene and the mainstream (including trophies for Best Band and Best Songwriter-Composer of the Year). They now find themselves in the curious position of evolving somewhere between the margins and the masses, no longer a totally underground phenomenon but not yet a household name. Le Volume du vent could soon change that, of course!

---

 Listen to an extract from Echapper au sort

---