For the uninitiated, “Nome Noma” is a song by the legendary weirdo punk group the Wipers, who invented a langauge for the track, way back in 1980, and also the name of a legendary compilation series by Trésor National—an organization that has taken the role of making sure Montreal and Quebec post-punk, new wave, synth, and power pop from the ’80s stays alive and well.
It’s a mammoth task to not only find these forgotten about, hidden gems, but also master them to sound crisp and modern- up to snuff with all of the modern post-punk going aorund.. But here we have the third installment in the Nome Noma series. Eleven of the songs on this Nome Noma 3, 13-track compilation album were also never released, which adds to the surreal listening process. There are some Francophone and Anglophone tracks from bands I’ve never heard of, like Heaven 17’s “Tomorrow Today”, Action Men on Assignment’s “Calamine Lotion”, Disappointed A Few People, Cham Pang, Lorne Ranger, and more. Depending on your poison, there’s really something for everyone on the compilation series. If you’re looking for some straightforward punk, with a surfy angle, check out Paradots’ “Ultra Man (Please Come Home),” or the Ramones-tinged “Granola Girl,” by Lorne Ranger. Some orchestral post-punk with your musical soup? Wondeur Brass has you covered with “Parano,” which sounds like a Quebecois B-52s backed by a brass band. Can you imagine that today? Would love to see that live.
To add to the cool cachet that comes with Nome Noma, I had to listen to these tracks live at the album launch in Cheval Blanc and more in the back of the record store Aux 33 Tours. Save for some Soundcloud previews on Trésor National’s Big Cartel ordering site, you can’t stream the album yet, maybe ever. I ordered my copy, and I’m still waiting for the vinyl in the mail. Get on it! There are only 1000 copies!
