Malajube Trompe L'oeil. Release Date : February, 2006. Label: Dare To Care. Rating: Excellent. (Screw points. To each his own!) This is nifty. Malajube is one of those bands that you don't hear a breath of, and suddenly they're everywhere. The latest addition to the who-put-all-the-crazy-talent-vitamins-in-Montreal's-water collection, Malajube stands out from the crowd for a couple of reasons. One, they play a very fresh, yet classically-melded style of indie pop. Two, they actually sing in French! Unlike so much French-language rock or pop that sounds like it was meant for small children or to soothe angry rush-hour middle-aged commuters, Malajube has not penned an album of bland, nerdishly chipper poppy-pop. They've given us something that's artistic and yes, poppy, but in a more scathing and unusual and funky Serge Gainsbourough sort of way, rather than dance pop like Mylene Farmer or goofy pop like Les Colocs. It certainly has its uber-nerdy moments, but in a cool way. Nerdy like Weezer is nerdy, you know. And it's just so cool to hear music sung in French. "Montreal -40C" reminds me of Sesame Street for some reason, with its chorus of Ba ba ba ba ba das. Remember "Peppyrock" from BTK? Kinda like that. What it boils down to is sheer fun! A+ for Malajube! It doesn't even matter that my French sucks so much that I can't understand what they're talking about. I know enough to understand that the song titles are really wonky and are all succeeded by a disease name. Huh?? Song of choice : Loving "Etienne D-aout" - really swank melody. -Andy Scheffler Elsewhere Malajube website Published : January, 2007.