Malajube
With the release of their debut record Le compte complet (2004), Malajube literally took over the indie rock scene and have drawn a wide amount of praise with their second album Trompe-l’Oeil (2006), a masterpiece that found its way of springing out of the already artistically rich local music scene, with their unique and original sound. Labyrinthes (2009) confirmed that the band was one of the most prolific and talented bands from Montreal (Olivier Lalande, Nightlife Magazine, February 2009). In 2010 Malajube released an EP entitled Contrôle, which was nominated at the 2011 Independent Music Awards and worked on the soundtrack for The Trotsky before recording their fourth album La caverne, which was released in Canada (Dare to Care Records) and in the USA (MB3 Records).
In addition of proudly winning five Felix awards over the years in their native province of Quebec, the latest for Alternative Album of the Year in 2011, Malajube also won a 2012 Juno Award for Francophone Album of the Year (La caverne), and has been nominated three times for the Polaris Music Prize, Trompe-l’Oeil and Labyrinthes having made the short list and the most recent La caverne having made the long list for the 2011 edition. The band has toured relentlessly the country and abroad playing hundreds of shows in Canada, in Europe, in the United States and Japan, visiting festivals and events such as the SXSW, CMJ Music Marathon, Osheaga, Les Eurockéennes and Les Francofolies de Montréal, turning on industry heads and listeners alike. Regardless of the language barrier, Malajube’s discography, especially Trompe-l’Oeil, pleased critics from all around; The New York Times, NME, Pitchfork, Brooklyn Vegan, Wired, Fader, Filter, Spin, Penthouse, Men’s Health Journal, Vanity Fair and more, all praising Malajube’s music in unison.
Press quotes
Anglophone, francophone, or anything in between — if you like solid indie music, Malajube speaks your language.
Stereo Subversion, 21 septembre 2011
La Caverne might be their best a lbum to date and surely some Americans will recognize that.
Surviving The Golden Age, 13 septembre, 2011
La Caverne is one of those rare albums that you can listen to from beginning to end without hearing a single dud...
I (heart) Music, 10 mai 2011
Simply put, this album is so good it makes me want to dish out the coin to learn French just so I can truly get the full experience of it. But even if one’s native tongue is not the second official language, La Caverne is an album that can definitely connect to anyone on that universal level of sound and motion.
Spinner, 27 avril 2011
Il y a une clarté dans le discours, tant au niveau musical que lyrique. [...] Une belle évolution.
Olivier Lalande, Nightlife Magazine, avril 2011
Le premier single Synesthésie [...] 3 minutes d’indie-pop orchestrale parfaite.
Le Parallèle, paperblog.fr, 19 avril 2011
the album is their best effort *****
Juan Rodriguez, The Gazette, April 18th 2011
La Caverne strengthens their crossover appeal by better blending the en français vocals with the arrangements, pushing the melodies forward and augmenting the already catchy guitar lines with bright disco-funk synths.
Richard Trapunski, Now Toronto, April 28th 2011
La Caverne is yet another great work of pop from the Montreal francophone quartet [...] its poppiness could make it the record that will gain Malajube a larger audience not only outside of Quebec, but internationally.
Kate Harper, chartattack.com, April 29th 2011
Malajube’s latest release, is so catchy and expertly mixed, you might end up halfway through the album before you realize you’re singing the low, echoey lyrics en français.****
Lisa Aldridge, EYE Weekly, April 27th 2011
Malajube, qui est de plus en plus efficace sur scène, dont le son est de plus en plus impressionnant.
Thomas Burgel, Les Inrockuptibles, Critique M pour Métropolis, Novembre 2009
Malajube sounded positively epic at Metropolis. It was a nice jolt to my system.
Bill Pearis, Brooklyn Vegan, M for Métropolis review, November 2009
Malajube s'inscrit assurément parmi les plus remarquables talents de l'histoire du rock québécois.
Philippe Renault, Rue Frontenac, février 2009
…But more importantly, they kinda fucking rock (and might be part of the reason we always accidentally typo their city “Monstreal”).
pitchfork.com, 2006
…With Malajube, anything is possible. The music is pretty, chaotic, playful, and catchy as hell. Granted, I can’t tell you what exactly they’re singing about—cranberry juice? Crabs? Tourette’s syndrome? Runny noses? I’m still going to sing along as if I did.
Seattle Weekly, 2006/11/01
Selected press
- 09.14.2011 — Surviving The Golden Age
- 07.31.2011 — The Gazette
- 07.07.2011 — La Presse — Mention spectacle au FME 2011
- 06.14.2011 — Journal Metro Montréal — Critique spectacle FrancoFolies de Montréal 2011
- 06.13.2011 — La Presse — Article spectacle FrancoFolies de Montréal 2011
- 05.20.2011 — Bande à Part — Session Live
- 05.17.2011 — The Broken Speaker — Critique spectacle à NYC
- 05.05.2011 — Radio-Canada Montréal TV — Prestation à Pénélope McQuade
- 04.27.2011 — Eye Weekly — Critique album La caverne
- 04.21.2011 — Voir Québec — Entrevue avec Julien Mineau
- 04.20.2011 — La Presse — Critique lancement à La Tulipe
Important shows
Malajube played shows in these countries:
Canada, United States of America, France, United Kingdom, Japan, Austria, Denmark, Sweden, Belgium, Ireland, Netherlands, Switzerland, Germany, Norway, Latvia and Spain.
- FrancoFolies de Montréal (2006 à 2012)
- Osheaga (2006, 2011)
- Festival d'Été de Québec (2006, 2009, 2011)
- SXSW (2007, 2011)
- 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver (2010)
- Pop Montreal (2005, 2010)
- Montreal High Lights Festival (2010)
- Festival de Musique Émergente en Abitibi-Témiscamingue (2005, 2009, 2011)
- Canadian Music Week (2009)
- Festival International de la Louisiane (2009)
- CMJ Music Marathon (2006, 2009)
- Polaris Music Prize Gala (2009)
- Seewiesen Austria Fest (2009)
- Immergut Berlin Festival (2007)
- Exclaim! Tour (Canada 2007)
- Opening act for Arcade Fire at the Olympia in Paris (2007)
- Primavera Spain Sound Festival (2007)
- Celebrate Brooklyn! (2007)
- Euritmix Bruxelles Fest (2007)
- Way Out West Gothenburg Festival (2007)
- Haldern Festival (2007)
- Transmission (Vancouver 2006)
- Festival Bruit de Melun (2006)
- Les Eurockéennes (2006)
- NXNE (2005)
Awards
- Nominated at l'ADISQ 2012 in the Videoclip of the Year category for Synesthésie
- Juno award for Francophone Album of the Year, Juno Awards 2012
- Nominated for Francophone Artist/Group or Duo of the Year, SiriusXM Indie Award 2012
- Nominated for Original Song - Oeil pour oeil (Good Neighbors), Genie Awards 2012
- Félix award for Alternative Album of the Year, L'Autre Gala de l'ADISQ 2011
- Nominated on the Polaris Music Prize long list, 2011
- Nominated for an Independant Music Award in the EP category for Contrôle, 2011
- Nominated for a Bucky Award in the Best reason to learn French category, 2011
- Félix award for Alternative Album of the Year, ADISQ 2009
- Félix award for Most Illustrated Artist Outside Quebec, ADISQ 2007
- Félix award for Revelation of the Year, ADISQ 2006
- Félix award for Alternative Album of the Year, ADISQ 2006
- Félix award for Artwork of the Year, ADISQ 2006
- Panache award for Artist of the Year, GAMIQ 2006
- Panache award for Best Alternative Rock Album, GAMIQ 2006
- Nova and Monster on stage Prizes, MIMI 2006
- Nominated on the short list of the Polaris Music Prize, 2007, 2009
- Nominated for Most Illustrated Artist Outside Quebec, ADISQ 2009
- Nominated for the Echo Songwriting Prize from SOCAN 2007, 2009
- Nominated at the 2007 JUNOS for French Album of the year, Artwork of the year and Alternative album of the year.