Moncton – August 29, 2023) – The 2nd album from Prince Edward Island’s Acadian group Sirène et Matelot, entitled “Un monde de dissonances”, will be released on September 1st, 2023, by Le Grenier musique.
Eleven new songs make up this album written and composed by Lennie Gallant and Patricia Richard, with several collaborations, including a very special co-write with American music icon Jimmy Buffett. The album recounts real events and stories drawn from the artists’ own experiences, past and present, to celebrate the beauty of the world around them.
The artists sing songs of love, sometimes real, sometimes not, stories of belief and betrayal, redemption, and celebration. They talk about conflicting discourses, social media and how it can take control of our thoughts and about other contemporary issues. There are adventure songs too, like the story of their friend Kirsten Neuschäfer’s winning solo sailing race around the world, the story of the Acadian horses on Sable Island they visited last year, and that of the late rock star Johnny Hallyday through the eyes of song co-writer and personal friend of Hallyday, as well as Lennie Gallant, the great artist Jimmy Buffett.
There’s certainly plenty of dissonance, beauty, and harmony to be found in this stunning production by two of Acadie’s most respected artists. “Sometimes, great beauty can come from a dissonance in the world. It can be a conflict of ideas or an interpretation of circumstances and events, of art or affairs of the heart,” they explain.
Radio single and album team
The song “Le grand retour” is the radio single. The song is currently #1 on the Atlantic francophone radio charts. It was written and composed by Lennie Gallant, Patricia Richard, and Patricia Conroy. The album “Un monde de dissonances” was produced by Davy Gallant and Sirène et Matelot. The musicians are Lennie Gallant (vocals, acoustic guitars, high strung, harmonica, mandolin), Patricia Richard (vocals, bodhrán mandolin, podorythmie), Julien Robichaud (keyboards), Davy Gallant (guitars, banjo, mandolin, percussion, harmonies), Gilles Tessier (electric guitar), Gilbert Fradette (drums), Éric Maheu (bass), Hugo St-Laurent (keyboards), Simon Blouin (drums), Rémy Malo (bass), Gabriel Ethier (keyboards) and Catherine Le Saunier (cello). Jimmy Buffett, Patricia Conroy, Dennis Ellsworth, Mac McAnally and Jac Gautreau each contributed to the text or music of a couple of songs.
Three album release shows
Patricia Richard, Lennie Gallant and their musicians will present three launch shows to introduce audiences to their new songs. First, they’ll be in Abram-Village PEI on Sunday, September 3rd at 7 p.m. as part of the the Evangeline Area Agricultural Exhibition and Acadian Festival. On Thursday, September 7 at 7 p.m., the show will be presented in Dieppe NB as part of the Arts and Culture Center season launch. And finally, on Thursday, September 14 at 7 p.m., the group will be at the Caraquet cultural center.
In 2019, Lennie Gallant and Patricia Richard formed the duo Sirène et Matelot and released their eponymous debut album. They share a passion for music, and together wanted to explore songwriting that reflects not only their roots and experiences, but also their concerns about the current global context. Having worked together on stage for several years on a variety of projects, this duo allows them to create songs that represent them both. Patricia Richard is from Mont-Carmel. She first came to prominence as a member of the groups Panou and ACADILAC, and from 2004 to 2010, she was part of the cast of the show Ode à l’Acadie, which has been performed over 1,000 times in Canada, the United States, France, Belgium, Switzerland, and Africa, and has recorded two albums. Born in the village of Rustico, Lennie Gallant is recognized as one of Canada’s leading singer-songwriters. He has been welcomed into the Order of Canada, and his song Peter’s Dream was inducted into the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame. Lennie frequently shares the stage with renowned artists and has released a dozen albums.
