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LE VENT DU NORD - Têtu

LE VENT DU NORD - Têtu
Borealis Records BCD236

From the moment you hear those feet, the fiddle and the jaw harp on the opening track, there is no doubt what is in store for you - high energy, great instrumentals, designed to get your feet tapping. And that is exactly what happens. You just can’t help yourself.

Le Vent Du Nord perform Quebecois music, singing in French, with strong links to Celtic styles, all with foot percussion and some wonderful vocals – it’s all very catchy. I first heard Wood and Cutting perform sets of tunes in this style many years ago.

This is Le Vent Du Nord’s eighth album and is a true reflection of their high energy and infectious live performances. Thank goodness for the excellent booklet, as there are explanations of the meanings of the songs. There are cheery songs about death, desertion, a werewolf, orphans and more death!

Among the many instruments are hurdy gurdy, piano accordion, fiddle, basses and bouzouki, and of course the foot tapping. There are links to many other bands, most notably La Volée d’Castors and, probably the most famous, La Bottine Souriante.

If you like this style of music, and I do, (though at the moment I get the feeling it is not as popular with British audiences as it was) you will love it. Even if you don’t, you might like to try Têtu as I don’t think it will be long before your feet are tapping along.

By the wy, if you are wondering what Le Vent Du Nord means, it can be translated as The Wind from the North, somehow summing the band up.

www.leventdunord.com

Dave Beeby

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This album was reviewed in Issue 108 of The Living Tradition magazine.