Karkwa Get Help From Patrick Watson And Land Of Talk On New Album

MONTREAL — Karkwa's third album, Le Volume Du Vent, hit stores on Tuesday. Now the Montreal alternative rock quintet are looking to outgrow their title as one of Quebec's best kept secrets.

Although the group sing in French, their orchestral and textured arrangements are more comparable to British bands like Radiohead and Coldplay than the traditional songwriters of their home province.

"The Karkwa sound, it's very spatial," says frontman and guitarist Louis-Jean Cormier. "We have an orchestral side that's constantly building up during the songs. Once you think it can't build up any more, we'll take it up another level."

Founding members Cormier, drummer Stephane Bergeron and keyboardist Francois Lafontaine originally met at school in Montreal and formed the first incarnation of the group in 1998. They later added bassist Martin Lamontagne and percussionist Julien Sagot when the group became a more serious pursuit around 2001.

"We're sort of in constant evolution," says Cormier. "When the first album [2003's Le Pensionnat Des Etablis] came out, we were still searching for an identity.

"With the second album [2005's Le Tremblements S'Immobilisent], a lot of critics kind of jumped on board. There was this buzz around Montreal that was mostly centred around English bands, but was starting to stretch on to the francophone side."

Karkwa have risen at the same time as good friends and fellow francophone Montreallers Les Breastfeeders and Malajube, and all three have gained attention outside Quebec. Karkwa performed at 2007's South By Southwest Music Festival in Austin, Tex. and showcased in Toronto during Canadian Music Week last month.

"People are more interested in music in other languages," says Cormier. "It's not just French bands.

"Look at bands from Scandinavia, for instance. In the underground music communities at least, there isn't really a need for any barriers."

After the group's successful CMW showcase, Cormier says there are plans for more shows outside Quebec in the future.

Karkwa enlisted the aid of a few famous Montreal guests for La Volume Du Vent, including Patrick Watson on opener "Le Compteur" and Land Of Talk's Elizabeth Powell on the single, "Echapper Au Sort." Les Breastfeeders' frequently shirtless tambourinist Johnny Maldoror guests as a homeless guy in the song's video.

"We had always wanted to experiment more with backing vocals, but we never really had the songs for it," says Cormier. "This time we unconsciously wrote songs more conducive to additional voices.

"It was more than just adding harmonies to us. We wanted to explore singing without lyrics as another instrument to our sound."