A man of few words unless it’s a question of singing them, singer-songwriter Samuel Gendron, aka Allô Fantôme, perfectly sums up the spirit of the Festival de musique émergente d’Abitibi-Témiscamingue (FME), which invited him to perform with his orchestra this evening: “This is the second time I’ve been invited; every time I go, the vibe is good and I am very well received.” On the program of the evening of the fifth anniversary of the record company Bonbonbon, Allô Fantôme will present for the first time the songs of his first album, Shh!expected on October 25.
Beyond the welcome and the vibethe premieres also make the FME famous. Because it is in Rouyn-Noranda that many musicians choose to unveil their projects, as Allô Fantôme is doing these days. For example, Alex Pic, a pop-rock singer-songwriter from the region, is taking advantage of the festival to launch his first album It’s a good day I thinkon the 117 Records label. We are eagerly awaiting Cardinalthe seventh album by Avec pas d’casque, which will exclusively offer its new songs on Saturday and Sunday at the Agora des Arts.
In concert yesterday at the FME opening cocktail, alt-soul singer-songwriter Hawa B unveiled the songs from her album Bmore sad than sorryannounced for November 29 on the Duprince label. Add to the list of new releases scheduled for Rouyn those of zouz (Ash Dayto be released by Simone Records), by the punk group Chou (the album White will be released on October 18, on Folivora Records) and the funk-soul-r&b orchestra The Brooks (Soon as I Can will be released on October 4 by Big in the Garden).
Shh!
Summer isn’t over yet, but the start of the fall season is already making itself heard in Abitibi — and Samuel Gendron is experiencing the excitement of the new school year for the first time. “I’m really proud of this album, I can’t wait for people to hear it,” he says. “I think I managed to make something that really represents me,” with the help of Alex Martel, the most sought-after album producer on the Quebec francophone scene, having worked with Lou-Adriane Cassidy, Keith Kouna, Valence, Hubert Lenoir, Thierry Larose, Alex Burger, and more.
I really like well-written pop from the 1960s and 1970s. Simple songs, but with a depth that speaks to me.
At Allô Fantôme, melancholy is never far away, but without sadness or self-pity; his alternative pop-rock song borrows from the past, without losing sight of the era, ours, which inspires him. “The songs talk a lot about me and what I’m going through,” says the musician, “often with a hint of sadness, but delivered in an almost childish and dreamlike way. I don’t think about it too much when composing, it just comes out of me like that.”
His poetry is modern, but “I am 100% inspired by the sound of the Beatles and Elton John”, the melodies of the former, the almost glam rock effervescence of the latter pacing his Yellow Brick Road and bringing to his songs ambitious orchestrations that inspired Gendron. “And with a touch of prog rock, which I listened to a lot as a teenager,” he emphasizes, an influence that is particularly heard on the song Lampshade.
“I really like well-written pop from the 1960s and 1970s. Simple songs, but with a depth that speaks to me. I like the grandiose in songs — I listened to Muse a lot when I was younger, I don’t know if you can hear that? Yes, it’s one of my guilty pleasures!” confides Samuel Gendron.
Thus, “Martel brought his touch to the album,” elegant and always in reverence to the heritage of Quebec pop-rock songs from the 1970s, “but he also helped me a lot to rework the songs, their structures,” adds Gendron, who, after reaching the semi-finals of the Francouvertes competition in 2022, released a first mini-album of four tracks before devoting his time to composing the 11 new songs of this first album, which Allô Fantôme will officially launch on November 23, at the chic Café Cléopâtre, during the M pour Montréal festival.
Allô Fantôme will be one of the three groups that will participate in the party on the 5the anniversary of Montreal record label Bonbonbon, which made its mark on the music scene by releasing recordings by the revelation Arielle Soucy, Félix Dyotte, Vanille, Velours Velours and the electronic art-pop group Totalement Sublime. The record company is organizing a corn roast at the Cabaret de la Dernière chance starting at 7 p.m. tonight, followed by concerts by Gendron, Dyotte and the Brussels post-punk group Ada Oda; the evening will end with a DJ set by Virginie B.
The album Shh! Allô Fantôme will be released on October 25; a first excerpt, Ami imaginaire, is already available. The Emerging Music Festival continues until October 1er September, in Rouyn-Noranda.