Sonic Visions of Montreal

Montreal Nurtures a Vibrant Musical Scene

Although winter brings deep snow, Montreal nurtures a vibrant musical soul year-round. Beneath the surface, its artists craft melodies that transcend borders, finding listeners from afar. This is the story of an unexpected epicenter where independent spirits give voice to their art, and influence spreads globally.

Lucía Malvido

Instructions to play:

Roll out your world map and look for America’s North East Region. Place your finger over the tiny dot that represents New York City, and use it to navigate against the tide of the Hudson River all the way North to the Labrador Peninsula. If you want to travel by land, drive the tip of your index along Interstate Route 87, the little almost straight line that borders the river bank as it changes names. Across the Coast of Sainte Catherine and the Saint Lawrence River, detached from the continental lands, you will stop at a little isle shaped like a foot. Now, you have arrived in Montreal, Canada, and you are in the right place.

First occupied by the Inuit people, then by Vikings, then by the French and English pirates, and most recently by industry laborers and hipsters, Montreal has an enigmatic way of giving birth to her music. Between her architectural triumphs and legendary forests, musicians find a safe playground.

Maybe you’ve never been to Montreal, but you can imagine the city when you listen to her music. Under the sound of this city, there is always a noticeable scratch, a chalky imprint preserved from the 50s and kept alive by the Real Book ritual that has taken place once every few years since 1980, organized by the acclaimed non-profit association Festival International de Jazz de Montréal.

Jordann is a young producer who writes darling “bedroom pop” poetry and transforms it into shiny, crooner-dreamyfunky tracks. He has released two white-label records (Connecting Visitors to Fun, 2020, and Safe Space, 2022) initially via Bandcamp and then pressed by the local label Return To Analog. By looking at his album’s cover art, you already know you’ve started the coolest trip.

The Organizing Committee

Eryk Salvaggio is not your typical guy making music with computers. He’s more like a super nerdy teacher who trains artificial intelligence to understand and recreate the sharp logic of experimental arts. As humans write science fiction stories to talk about our destiny, The Day Computers Became Obsolete is a philosophical essay that uses cybernetic resources to sing about robots becoming aware of themselves and analyzing their role in the human community.

Vendôme, a four-man folk music band, is an interesting example of how the genre has developed since its heyday post-World War II. Their arrangements carefully recall a vintage atmosphere using contemporary tools. Their first LP, Fable de la grenouille dor é e, has strong influences of the 70s romance present in the work of Robert Charlebois or Jean-Pierre Ferland.

Beaver Shepard labels all his albums with the “devotional” tag, without irony. He has a way of plugging us directly into a state of gratefulness where we can feel our roots deepen into the wonders of nature without letting us forget about our connection to technique and electronics.

In 2010, the band SUUNS wowed the shoegazers, postpunks, grungies, and indies with an EP featuring a dark, melancholic sonic big beat shot with psychedelics. Since then, their career has taken them to every remarkable venue in the world. SUUNS is a group of sharp, witty musicians who nail it every time they play live, and their records sound like garage albums mixed by a god.

The first time you listen to Men I Trust, a part of you knows you’ve been expecting to hear from them your whole life. If you are in rush hour, eager to get home, or feeling a little dizzy about a decision, tune into any of their records. They will pull you onto the clear little highways that go up the green hills of Montreal, giving you some perspective on the cityscapes and skyscrapers.

To be isolated so far north seems to give Montreal’s music a pure air. At its essence, the city is a creative metropolis tucked into the vast woods and streams of this storied territory, All that is happening in Montreal’s music scene seems to stem from a relationship between the sacred and the modern. It is a scene that thrives in an incredibly original, innovative way, remodeling its own influences and resulting in colorful, powerful scapes. Montreal’s underground turns to mainstream the minute it plays on your speakers. Turn up the volume and visit Montreal.—