Les Louanges: Central Park La Fontaine
A charming gentle tune paying homage to a famed Montreal park.
By Kerry Doole
Les Louanges - Central Park La Fontaine (Bonsound): Fresh from his Juno Award win for Francophone Album of the Year for last year's sophomore release, Crash, Montreal artist Les Louanges (real name Vincent Roberge), Central Park La Fontaine, a track that serves as an epilogue to Crash (his second album, released in 2022).
The song and accompanying video are gently charming. It starts off with Roberge narrating over sparse instrumentation, but it gradually builds in scope. Roberge plays piano and synths, his longtime collaborator and co-writer Félix Petit adds flute and saxophone, and Frédérique Tanguay-Gagnon contributes violin.
A label press release notes that "the song, which unfolds in several parts, was written on his balcony during a time when Vincent Roberge lived in front of the emblematic Montreal park. One can find references to the Crow in The Fox and the Crow (Lafontaine’s famous fable), as well as to the balcony in Romeo and Juliet." A vivid musical and lyrical imagination is a trademark of the work of Les Louanges.
As well as the recent Juno, Roberge earned multiple nominations at the Gala de l'ADISQ, taking home the trophies for Album Artwork of the Year and Arrangements of the Year alongside his Félix Petit. Crash made the Polaris Prize longlist, while his debut album, La nuit est une panthère, made the 2019 Polaris Music Prize Short List, confirming he has made a splash beyond la belle provence.
After returning from a mini-tour in France and Belgium, Les Louanges will perform in Quebec this summer. You can check the itinerary here.
Links
Publicity: Paul Brooks, Take Aim Media
Management: Lina Kachani & Roxanne Lehoux - management@bonsound.com
Booking: booking@bonsound.com
