Impeccable from start to finish and irresistibly groovy, Maintenant Jamais is an album capable of reaching a wide audience without betraying its roots. It’s all there. You can hear the prog nostalgia, interspersed with alternative and pop influences that propel the sound resolutely forward.
The eponymous track opens the album with force: a riff of formidable simplicity. It’s hard to shake off the bass line that kicks in from the very first seconds. It’s impossible not to imagine Sébastien Provençal playing it, so full of life is his playing. And the rest of the album only confirms its organic character, which is just as enchanting.
We are then carried away by “Prévision,” a contemplative, psychedelic track that leaves the necessary space to take it all in, and which builds with quiet confidence. “Machiavélique rock” bursts forth like a short burst of a minute and a quarter, which, as its name suggests, feels like a proto-punk rock ‘n’ roll sketch. “Haut-fond” follows, grooving hard. Once again, the bass reigns supreme, holding the track together with irresistible authority. It remains very playful. To be honest, there’s an epic feel to it that reminds me of the soundtrack to Rayman 2: The Great Escape – in the best possible way, of course.
“Mariano (Jamais je ne t’oublierai)” owes everything to the contrast between the drive of the drums and the softness of the vocals, a balance that gives the song its strength. It’s incredible when you realize that Pierre-Luc Gratton does both, with as much generosity on the album as on stage. I won’t dwell on the other nine songs, which are just as deserving of their place, possessing the same elusive mojo as the previous ones. But here’s an honourable mention for the delightful instrumental “i + i.”
It’s gratifying to see how the Quebec accent is fully embraced in the vocals. Population II proudly comes from here. There is no desire to disguise the language or pretend to speak a dialect that is similar to ours. It’s an attitude that permeates everything Population II touches. Give it a listen, if you haven’t already.
