Fear of something bigger
Matthew Harrison
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The French invasion : the Boies Brothers eye the rest of Canada
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Quebec's Projet Orange go all out on Megaphobe
Blood poisoning, 9-11, French versus English, sudden stardom-it's been a challenging year for Jean-Christophe and Jean-Sebastien Boies, two brothers who make up the supercharged rock band Projet Orange.With the release of their second album (their first in English), Megaphobe, the originally all-French-language duo have done more in two albums than many Quebec artists do in a whole career.
"When you're a French artist you're limited because the market is so small in Quebec, but every Quebec artist wishes to go further. We did think about eventually doing stuff in English, but we didn't expect to do it so soon," Jean-Sebastien Boies said over the phone from Quebec City.
BMG Canada Inc. watched the reaction to their 2001 self-titled debut-four hit singles and a MuchMusic Video award-and asked the band to do their followup in English, a potentially risky move since it could alienate their francophone fan base.
"Alienate? No, I don't think so," Boies said. "We're still a French band. We have some French songs on the album ... if you ask me, I would love to go out on the planet with French songs, but you just can't do it. English is the international language."
But producing Megaphobe was challenging. Boies was diagnosed with a blood poisoning disease and the duo was forced to put the album on hold for six months. During the downtime, Boies said his brother Jean-Christophe had "too much time to think.
"My brother had a lot of time to think about what's happened to the state
of the planet since 9-11. It's also when we came up with the name of the album, Megaphobe (megaphobia), the fear of something bigger than yourself." The band also wasn't comfortable with writing lyrics in English. Toronto's singer-songwriter Simon Wilcox jumped on board to lend the band lyrical assistance, while Juno-winning producer Gavin Brown and Brian Malouf (Foo Fighters, Everclear) helped to transform Projet Orange into a band that's drawing comparisons to Radiohead, Muse, and the Police.
"What's interesting about the new millennium is that you don't have to go for a particular current of music. You can pick your influence from anywhere ... you don't care about 'What is it like?' You just write an album with whatever inspired you."
PROJET ORANGE
W/ NO OTHER WAY, THE MALONEY CREW,
AND THE CLOCK STRIKES
MONDAY, NOVEMBER 8, FREE
ZAPHOD'S
i saw these guys at wild bills (banff) supporting the tea party... they were dead impressive. although i was comparing them in my mind to muse and radiohead as everyone else seems to be doing, but the point is their show was fantastic. they hit every note, and i loved the lead singer's voice (who was also pitch eprfect). if you get the chance, go see these guys... you won't be disappointed.
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Tom Chatterley
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| They were once compared to Radiohead |
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I remember the huge buzz around Projet Orange before they released their first album in french. Some people compared them to a french cousin of Radiohead. Needless to say the music that came out was a bit disappointing. It was not uninteresting. It's just that it sounded like any other pop group. The music was not standing out neither were the lyrics. But still there was enough pleasure to them that I would not switch to another radio station if they came on.
Reading about their new efforts in english brings back some hope. It seems that even though their new effort is being covered by the media, it is not with the same hype. Which makes me think that their album will probably be more interesting because not intended to please a large audience necessarily.
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Marc Charette
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{19 votes}
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Project Orange is pretty good but should not be compared to Muse or Radiohead. All i'm saying is that the band is good, but not that good. It's not original but at the same time, not boring.
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Karl Ragbeer
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| Project Orange - one of the greats |
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Listen, this band is awesome. Their new album is the best "unknow" collectable of the last 12 months. I absolutely love it. Their sound, while some compare it to others, is to me very orginal. Love it, Love it.... Love the lyrics, the music, and the depth of it all. Truly great "real" music. NO more techno and all that crap!! IT's DONE.
I want to know what their touring plans are. Please come to Halifax!!!!
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Kim Day
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They've finally hit it b ig with this one . its great when you like a band for a while and no one knows who they are until till they comeout with a GREAT song like tell all your friends . that is one of the best songs . They are awsome .
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Liz Wilson
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Projet Orange does seem to have great talent for rock music. The Boies Brothers and their musicians make this band sound like a real rock band. I believe they will succeed in their mission of playing good rock music for English audiences across Canada, considering they have had the support and complicity of Canadian artist, Simon Wilcox, Gavin Brown and Brian Malouf. They obviously know good talent when good talent pop's up! "Tell All Your Friends" is an example of this talent.
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Médor Doiron
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{5 votes}
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| Project Orange Will Die On The Vine |
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I believe that this band is a joke and should be eliminated from the music industry. There songs are so very tacky and I would never go to one of their shows if you gave me all the money in the world. There is no way that Project Orange can be compared to classic bands like "Radiohead" and "The Muse." I find it very funny that this band is still around because they don't have no talent what so ever.
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Carmela Sicurella
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{7 votes}
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| deep down in your gut rock |
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These boys know what good music is. Although only four or five songs on the album Megaphobe are in french, they are what make the best part of the album. I have very little idea what these guys are saying but that hasn't stopped me from hiting the back button everytime on their songs.
check out: Tell All Your Friends, Impair and If You Leave
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Katie Villeneuve
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{4 votes}
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