Here’s a tagline to save the music industry: See a show, learn a language! Even if it really only works with a group like French Canadian band Malajube, it’s still an interesting concept. After all, how did a small, French speaking indie band from the Montreal break into a market that STILL makes a huge deal about Selena and what a crossover sensation she was? Witness a Malajube show, and you’ll understand – a roomful of young American music fans enthusiastically butchering the French language as they sing along to the animated performance in front of them. You might not know what the hell you’re saying, but after a certain point, words in music don’t really matter anyhow. Mathieu Cournoyer (bass) and Thomas Augustin (keys, vocals) spoke with me about this phenomenon, and a few other issues (including bear hats!) at their show at Johnny Brenda’s in Philadelphia. More pictures after the jump.

You guys have been on tour for almost two years now. How has the experience been for you?
Mathieu: Oh, great. We’ve seen so much, so many different countries. Kind of tired though.

Understandable. I saw that you’re playing a bunch of shows in Quebec coming up – are you all excited to be going home for a bit?
Mathieu: Yes, definitely. We have kind of a bigger following there, bigger shows.
Thomas: People sing for us there. They sing so much that we don’t have to sing sometimes.

Do you even find it odd to come to an English speaking area and have people singing along who have no idea what they’re singing?
Mathieu: Yes, it’s very funny. But wherever we go, there always seems to be a couple of Quebecers in the crowd, who teach other people.

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Malajube was easily one of my highlights from CMJ ’06. Clearly, I wasn’t the only one who had similar feelings. The buzz around the band has followed them since those performances, resulting in two sold out nights at the Mercury Lounge. It’s pretty clear that the next time in town they will be heading down Houston to the Bowery Ballroom, but for now, they had to prove they could handle all that hype.

Surprisingly though, a band who I thought was rather unspectacular at the Fader party during CMJ ’06, Snowden, ending up almost stealing the show from them. Snowden, who released Anti-Anti (Jade Tree) last year was simply on point throughout with their keyboard infused and sonically engrossing post-punk. I’ve heard the live show far surpasses their studio work but they definitely made a fan that night.

I am not saying I didn’t totally enjoy Malajube’s set. The band’s set was just less energetic then back in the fall. It seemed like they are somewhat tired of playing stuff from their last album Trompe L’Oeil (Dare To Care) and I sensed much more energy when they were engaging in some heavier, instrumental fair. They were good, not great. Fun, but not fantastic.

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Last month, I did a CMJ cover story feature on bright eyed and bushy tailed Canadian popsters Malajube. The band’s album Trompe-L’Oeil (Dare to Care) was one of my honorable mentions of 2006 and I am sure we will be hearing a lot more of them when they cross the border and start playing some more shows in the States. Soundwise, think of the bouncier rhythms of Arcade Fire meets The Dears with a dash of Wolf Parade for good measure but sung in French.

You can check the feature out here

Malajube