La ville engloutie

From Jane's Addiction to Oasis, reuniting rock bands have made the headlines for the wrong reasons recently. On the other side of that coin sit Quebec garage rockers Les Breastfeeders, who've come back swinging (to lesser fanfare, sure) with little drama and an exciting new record. After a 12-year hiatus, the six-piece are right back where they left off.The irresistible single "Les pieds chez toi," released last spring, indicated that the band was back in fighting form, but it was official lead single "Vivre et exister," featuring new member Karine Roxane Isabel on lead vocals, that really set the tone for La ville engloutie (The Sunken City). Her serene and crisp voice shines through the lead guitar and intoxicating arrangements, the song's message about rejecting societal norms shot through with a vital clarity.Soothing harmonic choruses on the dreadfully clever "Ma mort d'avant ma mort" play off the rich bassline of "On ne prête qu'aux riches" and the high octane percussive pulsations of "Corsaire Satan" carry us through the first half of the album. The hypnotic riffs and energetic melodies sound super crisp and contribute to the timeless appeal and authentic garage energy of the project, while the lyrics, song titles and artistic direction of both covers and videos showcase the Breastfeeders' maturity and years of experience.The title track ushers in a much needed change of pace at the halfway point, where one could argue the album reaches a point of almost-boring consistency before the Spanish "Los sueños que ya no se sueñan más" throws a wrench into the whole theory and breathes a breath of fresh air into this thorough and hard-knocking album. Lush sounds, memorable refrains and undeniable stamina are the resounding notes from a very welcome comeback, bullshit-free.