What's the best Quebecois prog?

[bigjohnwayne]

I enjoy Harmonium's Cinquieme Saison and Pollen's s/t.

What other good prog did the belle provence put out?

[insidious meme]

Maneige and Sloche. In b4 TOIB.

[Scrotum Scissor]

Conventum, Maneige, Octobre, Et Cetera, Les Temps (second album), Contraction (second album espec), Sloche, L'Engoulevent, Franck Dervieux, Excubus, Charles Kaczynski, L'Orchestre Sympathique, Opus-5, Seguin.

From the 80s and on: Miriodor, Les Quatre Guitaristes de L'Apocalypso Bar, Wondeurbrass, Interference Sardines, Ere G, Rouge Ciel, Dagmähr.

[Trane]

Conventum, Maneige, Octobre, Et Cetera, Les Temps (second album), Contraction (second album espec), Sloche, L'Engoulevent, Franck Dervieux, Excubus, Charles Kaczynski, L'Orchestre Sympathique, Opus-5, Seguin.

there are a few more , but no more time this morning

From the 80s and on: Miriodor, Les Quatre Guitaristes de L'Apocalypso Bar, Wondeurbrass, Interference Sardines, Ere G, Rouge Ciel, Dagmähr. Pangée (if you can find it)

you've named quasi everyone (except the one I added)

[Rarebird]

Indiscipline?

[progeezer]

If you've never heard Christiane Robichaud of Contraction sing, the only thing to do is buy all their stuff (I did). I think there's only 3 or 4 & 1 is live). Please correct me if I'm wrong, Quebec).

Just f'ng brilliant!

That's all I got.

[Conti]

Is Sloche from Québec? If so, I definitely recommend it.

[Scrotum Scissor]

there are a few more

I've been meaning to ask you, Hugues - what do you think of that Guillotine album?

[Yves]

A few names of lesser note:

Karcius
Talisma
Hamadryad
Mystery
Godspeed You! Black Emperor

[Trane]

I've been meaning to ask you, Hugues - what do you think of that Guillotine album?

they're rather ok... a bit like a first draft of VEBB (Ville Emard Blues Band), with Janis-like vocals

Hear for yourself:

[Scrotum Scissor]

^

No, I've got the album - I was just wondering how you felt about it. I think it's OK, but definitely second tier.

[Trane]

^

No, I've got the album - I was just wondering how you felt about it. I think it's OK, but definitely second tier.

Well, though last time I heard it in full must've been in the mid-80's (yup, one of the many albums that didn't follow me across the pond), I kind of like it better than BS&T and Electric Flag, but less so than the first few Chicago albums... It's clumsier than VEBB was as well, but I find it as good as Syncope (to remain in the brass rock realm)

[Scrotum Scissor]

I kind of like it better than BS&T and Electric Flag, but less so than the first few Chicago albums... It's clumsier than VEBB was as well, but I find it as good as Syncope (to remain in the brass rock realm)

Indeed, or as those fairly dated releases by Toronto's notorious Lighthouse.

[ProgArtist]

I really love Pollen's s/t but only like some of Harmonium's Cinquieme Saison (I seem to remember liking the long track a lot more than the rest of the album). As for the recommendations from SS, the only ones I have are Et Cetera and Opus-5. I guess I should say "had" regarding Opus-5 as I didn't think it wasn't all that great, but I do like Et Cetera for the most part. It's got male and female vocals (in French) and is somewhat Gentle Giant-esque with counterpart and their choice of intervals in the vocals. The drum sound bothers me a bit, but overall I recommend the album.

[Phlakaton]

Maneige and Sloche. In b4 TOIB.

+1 - Those were the two I thought of first as well.

[Trane]

Indeed, or as those fairly dated releases by Toronto's notorious Lighthouse.

indeed, some of those Lighthouse albums are sooo outdated that they've become puuurtyyy moldy and provoke cartridge/stylus rust

(which is why I hadn't mentioned them)

[walt]

Rene Lussier-Le Tresor de la Langue.

Some might say this is not prog.I'll leave that issue to the experts.

[Poisoned Youth]

Well, this could end up just being more of a list thread, but these would be my top 10.

1. Harmonium - Les Cinq Saisons (beautiful album)
2. Contraction - La Bourse Ou La Vie (sophisticated and classy symph-ish prog - highly recommended)
3. Pangee - Hymnemonde (Instrumental symph from 20 years ago that is somewhat like Shylock or Anglagard with a 90s aesthetic)
4. Sloche - J'Un Oeil, Stadacone (hard to recommend one over the other. Solid, quality fusion if not a bit dated sounding)
5. Miriodor - Mekano (avant-prog leaning, but very accessible at the same time)
6. Morse Code - Le Marche de Hommes (well done and squarely in the 70s "proggy prog" vein (Yes, etc.). Nothing new here)
7. Maneige - s/t (uniquely composed symphonic prog - emphasis on the classical side)
8. Rouge Ciel - s/t (jazzy modern day avant-prog with violin and brass)
9. Interference Sardines - Zucchini (quality avant-garde progressive rock)
10. Pollen - s/t (Fits along side Harmonium or Morse Code, proggy prog one moment, more pastoral the next)

[Progatron]

Is Sloche from Québec? If so, I definitely recommend it.

Yes, and I'll also recommend both albums, which are outstanding! And Maneige gets my vote as well, some of my favourite music to come out of Quebec.

[remoraes]

Miriodor

[Progbear]

If you like Les cinq saisons you also need Harmonium’s bombastic, orchestrated follow-up: L’heptade. I don’t find it as enthralling from beginning to end as its more humble precursor, but there’s lots to love here with some classic tunes (especially “L’exil” and “Comme un sage”).

Then you need the debut and the Fiori-Séguin album, Deux cents nuits à l’heure. Not as “prog” but the music is first-rate on both.

Also of note:

• Brèche (very nice folk-progressive)
• Eclipse (all right, perhaps not an essential purchase, but the self-titled debut is very Moog-y, features some devastating Floydian passages and nice male/female vocals. Beware, such moments are side-by-side with some fairly horrid attempts at commercial pop. Still, worth a glance. Not so their second album, Night and Day.)
• L'engoulevent (perhaps the quintessential folk-prog band from Quebec)
• Et Cetera (Perhaps this Gentle Giant knockoff band won’t win any prizes for originality, but I think they pulled it off with taste and style. Good multi-instrumental interplay, the female vocals, synths and ondes Martenot of Marie Bernard Pagé are the icing on this cake.)
• Maneige (Kind of a “duh” inclusion, their first four are all worth owning. The first two are more in a sort of modern classical/chamber music vein, the next go into more of a fusion direction. Heavy use of various kinds of percussion instruments give them a distinctive voice.)
• Le Match (A folky symphonic band with heavy use of violin. Not a classic, but it grows on you.)
• Morse Code (superb sympho-prog on La marche des hommes and Procréation. Je suis le temps goes in a more “chanson” direction and didn’t click with me.)
• Nathan Mahl (what I’ve heard of this 90s/00s prog band has been good to excellent. More research required...)
• Opus-5 (two albums, both of which are quite different. Contre-courant is extremely unique and unclassifiable, there’s classical and jazz influences melded in an unprecedented way. I’ve only scratched the surface of this one, it hasn’t really sunk in yet but I feel it has the potential to be one of my very favourites. Sérieux ou pas goes into a more upbeat, perhaps Canterbury-ish melodic fusion direction which is likewise satisfying, though it may not be to all tastes.)
• L’Orient d’Ô (mainly distinguished by their female organist/synth player, this band makes a symphonic brand of prog that I find tends to be quite underrated among other progressive rock enthusiasts. Male vocals.)
• Pangée (excellent retro-prog from the 90s)
• Pollen (Basically symphonic prog, but like Opus-5 done in a rather unique way. Not quite as eclectic, you can definitely hear the influences here especially Genesis and Gentle Giant, but they are not a clone band. Very refined and well-done, this one is highly recommended.)
• Sloche (Very Canterbury-ish fusion with a bit of a classical/symphonic touch. If you’re a fan of extremely complex prog in the National Health vein, you need to own these. Both are classics!)

[nosebone]

Both Sloche's are must owns

[bill g]

If you've never heard Christiane Robichaud of Contraction sing, the only thing to do is buy all their stuff (I did). I think there's only 3 or 4 & 1 is live). Please correct me if I'm wrong, Quebec).

Just f'ng brilliant!

That's all I got.

Yeah, she is amazing. Love those Contraction albums, I like the first at least as well as the 2nd.

Et Cetera is another of my very favorites, they just did the one album. (Not to be confused with another European band of the same name)
Ere G is yet another. Gorgeous summery stuff that musically perhaps sounds more British (Hackett-Ant Phillips ish?) than Quebecois, but wonderful.
Sloche, Octobre, Maneige, and of course Fiori's stuff after Harmonium (Fiori/Sequin) and his most recent solo are both great.

[Scrotum Scissor]

Morse Code were good, but less overtly "Quebecois" to my ears. I guess that doesn't necessarily imply much as to what the OP's after.

Nathan Mahl's original Clever Use of Shadows is excellent, IMO.

Concerning Harmonium, I'm a huge fan of Serge Fiori as both singer/songwriter and lyricist especially, but unlike most "prog" folks I actually think the s/t Harmonium debut album serves his qualities better. Somehow I've always had a bit of a challenge in considering Harmonium any more of a "rock" group than I'd consider stuff like Ougenweide, Madden & Harris, Bröselmaschine or Phil Ochs for that matter. The over-the-top orchestral epic songsmithing of L'Eptade is great and probably comes the closest, but overall I think their debut is the musically strongest albeit least "rock" of the three.

There's also the beautiful Ptarmigan album, although again there's little actual "rock" in it.

[Yves]

Nathan Mahl were from Ottawa Ontario, so they don't qualify here...though that album is superb!