Dix chansons que j'aime!

la nuit à Québec, originally uploaded by Cody La Bière.

French music from Quebec is very underrated outside Quebec. While many fans of Canadian music know of Cœur de Pirate and Malajube, there's many musicians that get overlooked. Here's 10 songs from Francophone Quebec that I love!

1. Les Cowboys Fringants - Les Étoiles Filantes. A nice mixture of traditional French folk music mixed with a bit of pop to it. Great band, very catchy songs!
2. Damien Robitaille - Homme autonome. Well Damien is actually a Franco-Ontarien, but I just had to include a song by him in the list. His songs are always very catchy. This guy is going to go FAR in the French Canadian music scene!
3. Les Trois Accords - Dans mon corps. Honestly, the first Francophone band I have ever been interested in was this band back in 2005. Their song Saskatchewan is a fricken classic. But they're back with a brand new album.
4. Pépé et sa guitare - La solution. One of my favourite joual speaking musicians. He's a blast live, and his songs are so catchy that I saw 200k drunk-as-fuck people on the plains of Abraham at 3AM slurring his songs word for word. It was a great time (minus getting trampled on).
5. Mononc'Serge - Saskatchewan. Who doesn't love to make fun of the Gap province? As a Manitoban, I had to include this song. So true
6. Robert Charlebois - Entre Deux Joints. Robert Charlebois is a legend in Quebec. EVERYONE in Quebec knows who he is, what songs he sings, etc. It's like Burton Cummings in Manitoba. He would even look a bit like Burt if he grew a stache. He had major influence on the Quebec music scene, and at one time he co-owned the greatest brewery in Canada, Unibroue!
7. Jean Leloup - Tangerine. Like Charlebois, Jean Leloup was very influential on the Quebec music scene. I discovered Leloup's music back in 2006 when he went back to his real name for an album, Jean Leclerc. For some reason I suspected that they were the same person, but never realized it. That was one of the only concerts I missed while in Quebec City that I really wish I never missed.. he's a freaking legend in Quebec.
8. Omnikrom - Danse la poutine. This song makes me laugh each and every time. Only in Quebec would there be someone rapping about poutine!
9. Les Vulgaires machins - Être un comme. One of my absolute favourite rock bands from Quebec, always rocking, all the time!
10. Les Prostiputes - Je veux danser avec toi. This bands name is a play on words, so each time I read it, I get a chuckle from it. You can easily guess why. Les Prostiputes, likes Les Vulgaires machins are a great rock band.

These 10 songs, along with many many many other songs have influenced my tastes today, and I have been able to accept Franco-Canadien music into my life regularly. Heck.. most of the albums I buy now days are by French musicians. A band doesn't have to sing in English to sound "good", because a language doesn't define the greatness of a band. Listen to music that makes you happy, makes you try to sing the words, even if you can't speak the language!