Vishtèn Music

Originaire d'Évangéline et des iles de la Madeleine, les deux jumelles LeBlanc et Pascal Miousse sont pour le moins polyvalents, capables de chansons touchantes autant que de gigue et de musique mordantes. Après quatre ans de silence discographique, ils reviennent avec une creation de qualité international realisee par Eloi Painchaud. Ce sont l'attitude rock au bout de la guimbarde et a travers le bodhran, le méchant swing sur la douceur bluesy, la lueur d'un folk atmosphérique dans le complainte, le violon qui glisse dans la tristesse, l'accordéon qui entre par en dessous dans une ballade roots, la guitare qui jig et la complainte atmospherique electro aux éclats de slide en guise de finale. C'est le chant des embarquements, de l'éloignement, des guerres, des ivresses et des autres demons a surmonter. C'est l'ame acadienne forte sur les nouvelles sonorités celtiques et un univers si près du notre. C'est un disque splendide! - Yves Bernard, Le Devoir (Montreal)

From Prince Edward Island and the windswept Magdelen islands of Quebec, this trio blends Celtic and French influences with Canada's equivalent of Cajun music. There's accordion, fiddle and flutes. There's foot percussion. There's step-dancing. There's a couple of guests, but Vishtèn's core trio fill the acoustic space well enough on their own. This is album number four from these Acadian youngsters, and they just keep getting better. Mosaïk features six songs and six instrumentals - and in the way of Quebec bands the songs are often married with a tune or two. As the CD title suggests, this is a patchwork of styles, from Shetland to chansons, folk to funk, with great harmonies and bags of bass. Unusually for Canadian groups, the main singer is female: accordionist Pastelle LeBlanc leads four songs, while her sister Emmanuelle fronts the ballad of exile Le Printemps and fiddler Pascal Miousse sings the tragi-comic Le Vieux Pi La Vieille.

Instrumentally this is a class act. Vishtèn have all the bounce and bravado of Quebec music, plus the soulful melodies of the Acadian tradition. They also take inspiration from Scottish and Irish traditions: Shetland's Magical Bus could come from any contemporary Scottish band, and La Fougue des Fées puts me in mind of McGoldrick or McSherry. In fact, almost all the tunes here are Vishtèn's own: all three members compose like crazy, and produce some wonderfully wild music. La Brunante is a nice example, fiddle sorcery inspired by the dramatic weather of PEI, beautifully written and played by Pascal who bends and shapes his notes to reflect the patterns of sea and sky. The pair of LeBlanc reels which follow show more of a modern Celtic influence, slightly breathy whistle and Cape Breton swing piano, still with that solid Acadian beat. Vishtèn finish with another twist of tradition, a native American story turned into a folk-country showpiece, full of backwoods atmosphere. All the pieces of Mosaïk fit together perfectly to produce a very colourful album. Check these guys out at www.vishten.net - you won't be disappointed.

Alex Monaghan - Living Traditions

“The Acadian band that mixes rhythms
or irresistible dancing and climbing
notes and voices to the sky...high
voltage musicians!!” - Le Guéret (France)

“They made a bang! the musicians of this group set a beautiful ambiance friday night...we look at them expressing themselves on stage with fresh and impressing energy.” - L'Éveil (France)

“Acadian and celtic roots, new spirit,
foot percussion that is almost rock
drives this acadian band from two
sister islands, Prince Edward Island
and the Magdelen Islands, these young
francophone musicians have
impregnated their traditional
repertoire of all the richness of their
heritage that distinguishes the
character of the east coast on this
continent.” - Alain Brunet, La Presse (Montréal)

“It’s like buckwheat zydeco meets the irish. The
first time i saw them, i loved them!”

- Pittsburgh News

“Rhythms, melodies, voices, musicianship...a
near perfect ensemble. Vishtèn, what a world!” - Le Petit Douchynois(France)