It took four years for
Fred Fortin
to release a follow-up to his acclaimed debut,
Joseph Antoine Frederic Fortin Perron
.
Le Plancher des Vaches
takes all the varnish off the first album with the help of the turpentine that was the
garage
-core trio
Gros Mene
's parenthesis (the 1998 album
Tue Ce Drum Pierre Bouchard
). Whether or not this represents the "real"
(as in "not limited by record company executives") is debatable, but one thing is sure: The sweet and sour
singer/songwriter
who allied rural
poetry
and inventive
folk-rock
has fully turned to
lo-fi
alternative rock
is dirty (both in terms of words and music), sloppy, even amateurish at times, but highly effective. Some criticized the topics of the songs (alcohol, drugs, hockey, and sex, for the most part) -- granted, this time around the
is buried in filth, but it is still there. And
Fortin
has never sounded meaner on bass or electric banjo. Recorded at home in the countryside with a select number of musicians adding extra touches to
's tracks, the album conveys a sense of intimacy and rurality, despite its occasionally brutal
rock
display. Highlights include
"Canayens"
and
"Ben Buzze"
(two singles ignored by commercial radio), as well as the beautiful
ballad
"Corneille,"
the only song reminiscent of the first album's sweet side. Not as strong (or sound) as
's first album, this one had a bigger influence. Many groups of the Quebec
underground realigned their sound on
. ~ Francois Couture