Chut! is far from a quiet album. Allô Fantôme’s first opus resembles organized, yet melodic chaos. It’s grandiose and distinct, not least because of the presence of flutes in almost every song, adding a touch of melancholy and naivety to the project.
Although Samuel Gendron, aka Allô Fantôme, is still in his infancy, he can already tick off a few boxes on his list of achievements: an appearance in the semi-finals of the Francouvertes in 2022 and a win at GAMIQ 2022 in the indie-rock EP of the year category. His growing reputation is based on a highly original sound, a sort of alloy between Hubert Lenoir’s voice and the musicality of the Beatles. The 70’s influences are evident on this album, a blend of old-school progressive rock and pop, produced by the talented Alexandre Martel (Lou-Adriane Cassidy, Hubert Lenoir, Valence).
One of the strengths of this album lies in its ambitious orchestration, where musicians from both the classical and rock worlds join forces to create a surprising yet perfectly coherent whole. These musicians include Ligia Paquin on viola, Mélanie Bélair on violin, Anne-Marie Garand on flute, Christophe Charest-Latif on bass, Vincent Lemay on guitar, Zacharie Simard Mathieu on guitar and Christophe Rosser-Balcer on drums.
Chut! is a joyful album, sometimes even childlike in its tones, but which tackles themes that provoke deep reflection. In La question qui tue, for example, he says, “What’s the point of going to heaven, the existential answers aren’t there? The more groovy songs Trampoline and Chance are a particular favorite. Definitely a Quebec album worth discovering.
