Duchess Says; be upstanding for the sound of young Montreal

Dr Dre using coughing sounds. MIA using gunshots. Sonic Youth and the Pixies using feedback. What do all of these have in common? Well, if you answered “They are all examples of artists who create fantastic pop songs out of strange sounds, remolding them so they are part of the rhythm or melody and thus ending up with something that is both cutting edge and yet still likely to be hummed by the postman,” or words to that effect, well, then you’d be right.

It’s this tradition that Montreal’s Duchess Says are born into. Tipping a wink to fellow travelers Erase Errata, last month they released their debut album, Anthologie des 3 Perchoirs (the anthologie of three seats, for what it’s worth.) Despite the French title, most of the songs are sung in English, when indeed, words are even used. Opening track Teneu non neu is what Devo would have sounded like if they’d crashed their bicycles when they had been drinking too much; a two minute disco rush of stuttering bass and yelps from front woman Annie-Claude.For those following at home, this is a Good Thing.

The tone for the album being set, what follows are a number of tacks that show off their dedication to both adventure and accessibility. Ccut Up could be an outtake from one of the more recent Fall albums; actually, their approach isn’t a million miles away. Like Mark E Smith, they seem to have no respect for their instruments; rather than letting their keyboards play themselves, the band almost seem to assault their synths, seemingly inflicting physical violence on them until something approaching a song falls out.

Most pleasing of all, perhaps, the track I’ve got the flu captures the sickly wooziness of a hangover, whilst at the same time featuring sneezing samples in the rhythm track. A bit of a novelty, but novelty that works is only to be encouraged.

By their own standards, the single Black Flag is probably the most straightforward moment of the album. If Dead or Alive’s You Spin me Round had been catapulted forward in time and had ended up naked  and drunk on the floor of a Montreal basement, then this is probably how it would feel when it woke up in the morning. Which is this album in a microcosm – to return to the original theme, it’s a catchy tune that’s had some wrong things done to it, and is all the better for it. It might sound a little painful, but the outcome is more than pleasurable.

I’m going to leave you with a link to a live performance of Black Flag. I’ve not actually seen them live yet, but this makes me want to get on a flight to Montreal and follow them around for a week. Too extreme? Perhaps. You do feel, however, that if they get any sort of break, this is a band that’s going to inspire some real devotion from its fans.