After being shortlisted for the Polaris Prize in both 2006 and 2009, Montreal quartet Malajube get happy on La Caverne, their fourth and greatest record to date. Tracks like “Synesthsie” and “Chienne Folle” are fleshed out with prog-pop synthesizers and disco beats; the multi-layered vocals might be sung entirely in French, but the band’s exuberance can’t be beat – they did after all, record La Caverne in a geodesic-styled home in rural Quebec after a gruelling world tour on which their Japanese fans knew all their lyrics. On top of their game with their most accessible record yet, we spoke to front man Julien Mineau about why he doesn’t want to win the Polaris, recording in the woods and why his teenage Goth fans freak him out. (Stream La Caverne here.) Hey Julian: it’s 2:15 p.m. and you’re in Hamilton. What’s going on? We just finished playing two shows already, each in front of 2,000 people. It was this middle school thing, and buses and buses of kids came in. I can’t believe that we already played for 4,000 people today, and we have another show tonight. It’s a big music day for us. Malajube has been shortlisted twice for the Polaris Prize. If La Caverne is nominated again this year, how will you feel? Um… I don’t know. I think it’s better just to be nominated than winning because of a lot of the controversy. Since a francophone band won last year, [winning] probably won’t happen. What are your reservations? There was a lot of controversy when Karkwa won, maybe because we had been nominated so many times and people from the rest of Canada were like, “Who the fuck is that?” Every time I’ve been at the awards, it was like that. When Fucked Up won we were nominated and everyone was like, “Huh, what the heck.” When the guy with the violin won… Owen Pallett? Yeah, I don’t think Owen Pallett was that big at that time in Canada. So they’ve always picked a strange one; it’s never the one that you think would win. So it’s probably better just to be nominated, so there’s no trouble. There’s no $20,000 though, but that’s all right. Quebec’s francophones make up two percent of North America’s total population. As one of the country’s foremost francophone indie rockers, do you think language should be an issue in this election? I think the Prime Minister should definitely learn better French if they want people in Quebec to vote for them. For example, Jack Layton is getting big in Quebec these days, just because he speaks good French. You don’t have to speak well, but you should also not sound like a robot. Harper comes off as the biggest jerk in French. He should learn more French and get more sleep. I don’t know how Quebec should be divided, because I don’t think there is a solution. You kind of want to vote for the Bloc Quebecois, just in case someday we get assimilated. I don’t feel concerned about that since I’ve been born, but it would be easier just to give up and learn perfect English. I think it’s good for English Canadians that their country is bilingual.
As for the new record, there seems to be a lot more going on texturally. Yeah, I think so, too. We put more work into this record, writing and all that. Now we’re trying to address more people than just our fans, we want to talk to grandmas, uncles and everybody. And when we play live, we’re getting better and better. This is definitely my favourite album we’ve made. Maybe because we were happy again. Yeah, you’ve remarked that Labyrinthes attracted a cult of teenage fans who told you that your record made them want to commit suicide. That came up a couple of times. These 14 and 15-year-olds with big hair and metal t-shirts at our shows, they see you as their hero and they talk about their personal lives, and you’re like “Eww…” I’m just not good at doing that. I just say, “Keep it going and do music.” They have to find a way themselves. But yeah, it’s less rock and roll to have these kinds of conversations after a show. Maybe if you have psychiatrist side… but I’m not so good at making people feel better. Maybe with music but not with words. We just want to see the good things now. Music should make people happy, it’s a time to celebrate more than a time to think. I don’t know how to explain that I was scared. Music is not that. Probably a nice change of pace was the way you recorded La Caverne – in a house in the Quebec wilderness with your friends. We rented a big house, in the middle of 25 acres of forest and mountains. It was pretty inspiring just to be able to produce an album ourselves, as opposed to being in a studio with business hours and lots of stress in the city. It was nice to spend two months recording every day, and be cut from the world. There was no schedule, we could record in the middle of the night and wake up late. We saw like little Bambi, they were hanging out, just wondering, “What’s that sound, what’s that French sound?” You’ve since traded in your signature bear hat for a beard. How’s that look working out for you? We all used the bear hat at one point, it was a furry way to dress. But now it’s not so cool anymore, too many people did it. We haven’t done the bear hat in three years now. I still wear a normal hat though. Oh, that’s good. I’ve always worn something on my head. In my everyday life, I wear a toque. It keeps my brain warm. We were actually looking for the rest of the bear costume, but we never found it. Sometimes when you really feel like shit, it’s good to put on a strange dress. That’s why I have this Muslim traditional dress, which I’ve cut to make it more like a t-shirt. This costume… it’s a mix between how do you say “a guy who cuts logs” in English? A lumberjack? Yeah, it’s a mix between a Muslim and a lumberjack. It kind of has a double meaning about peace. We’re playing 10 shows in 8 days, so if I’m in a shitty mood I might wear it. Hopefully it’ll at least be clean for Toronto. Last question: St-Viateur or Fairmont Bagel? It would be St-Viateur. But that’s just because I used to live on that street and eat that every day, so it reminds me of that time, when the band started getting attention. It was a changing in my life. So you were becoming this famous rock star, but all you ate was bagels? I ate a lot of bagels in 2005. They were cheap and filling and always there; St-Viateur is open 24 hours. Do you want to know how I like my bagels? I like my bagels with cream cheese and jam. I’m not a smoked salmon fan, so I go with the sweetness. Oh, now you’ve got me hungry! It’s too bad you’re in Hamilton. Yeah, I know! I think we’re just gonna go across the street to Gino’s Pizza.
