Whoever says Quebec rock does not necessarily think of the early 1980s. This now distant era has above all the reputation of having been a great musical desert, of which only a few big names remain like Pied de Poule, Belgazou or Soupir, the Normand Brathwaite’s group.
In reality, these few stars were only the tip of the iceberg. Beneath the surface, dozens of small alternative groups teemed in the shadows, galvanized by the new sounds of the time. The problem is that most of them remained confined to the margins, before completely falling into oblivion.
It is to restore this injustice that the Trésor National label, specialized in reissuing local gems, is launching these days the second volume of the Nome Noma compilation, dedicated to “post-punk”, “new wave” and to Quebec “synth pop” from 1979 to 1983.
A fantastic idea, let’s say it. Because this collection of around ten songs takes us straight back into the counterculture of this period, with its energy, its desire for modernity… and its naivety. For the duration of a vinyl record, we find ourselves at the bar Le Glace, at Station 10 or at Shoeclack, to hear groups that no longer exist, such as C. C. Orchestra, Modular or Johnny Pop.
“It’s really a snapshot of this alternative scene,” summarizes Sébastien Desrosiers, co-director of Trésor National, not a little proud of the result.
Nome Noma is therefore an ethnographic document. But not only. It’s also and above all a really good dose of artistic vitality.
The years following the 1980 referendum have often been described as a period of musical depression. This is not at all what comes out in this compilation of modern rock, which today’s hipsters would not deny.
We sing in French, we sing in English, we have fun with new synthetic sounds and the emerging computer world.
“There were some very original things,” agrees Sébastien Desrosiers. It was a scene bubbling with energy and inventiveness that we are just beginning to rediscover. It was eclectic. It was out of the mold. Quebec was looking for a sound. They tried. »
Three years of work and archival research were necessary to bring this project to fruition. Unlike the first Nome Noma, published in 2020, this second volume offers a lot of new stuff from behind the scenes, which gives it added value. The compilation, printed in 1000 copies, is only available on vinyl.
Sébastien Desrosiers hopes that this project will set the record straight regarding Quebec alternative rock from these pivotal years. No, it wasn’t just Belgazou and Pied de Poule. Just scratch the surface and another world reveals itself, bright and stimulating.
“People are hungry for rediscoveries of the 1980s,” concludes the rock historian. When young people hear this, they’re going to be like, “What? ! Was there such a lively scene in Quebec? !” For most [of these groups], it hasn’t aged a bit…”