A dispatch from the FME music fest

Mauves playing FME’s outdoor stage on Friday. Photo by Christian Leduc
 
Halfway into Rouyn-Noranda’s Festival de musique emergente, I’m still standing and the little industrial town you might remember from geography class (in the unforgettably named region of Abitibi-Témiscamingue) is still pumping out the rock, hip hop, folk and electronic music along with the precious and heavy metals being processed within the town’s hulking industrial backdrop. Come back to cultmontreal.com on Tuesday, Sept. 3 for a full report, with photos.

Here’s some tracks and videos by bands playing the festival. Watch and listen as I head to a couple of outdoor shows, wearing as many clothes as possible — it’s nine degrees out, dudes.
 

Dear Criminals, “Fuck the Stars”

 
Local trio Dear Criminals, whose six-track Weapons EP emerged just yesterday, features Random Recipe’s Frannie Holder and Charles Lavoie of Lackofsleep and b.e.t.a.l.o.ve.r.s. They’re the most ubiquitous band at FME, playing three sets over as many days. Check out this acoustic performance, shot in hipster environs.
 

Dear Criminals – Fuck The Stars | A City By The River from A City By The River on Vimeo.

 

Solids, “Traces”

 
Local duo Solids remain impressive in their efforts to keep the ’90s alt-rock flame alive. They played the late show at FME on Friday. Their next record, Blame Confusion (produced by Tricky Woo alumnus Adrian Popovich at Mountain City Studio), is out Oct. 8. Brace yourself.
 

 

Forêt, “La Cage”

 
The core of local act Forêt is Émilie Laforest and Joseph Marchand, but in the studio and now on stage, they’re joined by a trio of players to bring their radiant electro-pop to life, as they did in fine fashion when they opened for Suuns last night. Their eponymous debut album is out on Simone Records.
 

 

AroarA, “4”

 
Montreal-based duo AroarA, aka Broken Social Scene alumnus Andrew Whitemen and singer-about-town Ariel Engle, play FME’s closing show tomorrow night. Their debut album In the Pines was released last week on Club Roll Records. Read about how they transformed the poetry of Alice Notley into music here.
 

 

Alex Nevsky, “On leur a fait croire”

 
FME ensured that there’d be a packed house for yesterday’s launch of Himalaya mon amour, the sophomore album by local quintet Alex Nevsky — it was the only show going at 7 p.m., and the crowd was spilling out of the door. They play le National on Thursday, Sept. 5, 8 p.m., $10.