L’Embuscade
Montreal
July 9, 2008
Divan Orange

Undoubtedly the worst time to catch a show is on a night when the rain is piss pouring down, there’s no cash for a taxi and the last cigarette has come apart like a promise from a third-string friend. This was essentially my person as I entered the venue to see L’Embuscade.

I was in good spirits.

“What the fuck is an Embuscade?” I said to my colleague.

“Maybe it’s a riddle,” she said.

I toyed with the word. Scrambed the letters as I rattled the change together for a stout at the bar. Scum Da’bee. No. Mad Bees’ Cum…too many ‘m’s. Fucking band. They would probably suck.

Not so…

What I heard could easily double as the soundtrack to a volcano. But don’t be misled. This ain’t no jam band, and this ain’t no psychedelic hardcore, even though my heart did register some sweet pangs for a twinge of that Toronto post-hardcore sound. I basically sat through the show chewing on my glass in disbelief how a band with such little rehearsal time could pull of songs that ring with the precision of a terrorist strike and sound basically like the tightest knit sweater coming out of the musical Godzilla that is Montreal. There is legit musical talent happening with this band and its clear these are musicians who have cut their teeth on a range of styles and assembled each of them in a winner-take-all fight to sweet death.

The EP is an exciting and rewarding listen, but live this is a rare band whose unique ability to tie complex arrangements, twisted timings into pleasing melodies and accompany them with surprisingly tender vocal harmonies sets them miles ahead of the herd.

Later, at the hottest club north of Havana, I asked our French-speaking waitress what an embuscade is, my colleague suggesting it may be some Atlantic crustacean found only off the coast of Gaspesie.

“No, c’est pas ca,” she said. “When you plan an attack, in secret, c’est ça, l’embuscade.”

M.Fingers