Charles-Antoine Gosselin (musician) and Philippe Custeau (writer, musician and doctor of chiropractic) began trading songs by mail ten years ago while Custeau still lived and studied in Iowa. Their two albums, released in 2006 and 2008 respectively, feature guest appearances by some of Canada's finest musicians, including Bob Egan (Blue Rodeo, Wilco) and Jim Bryson (Howe Gelb, Kathleen Edwards). The albums have been critically acclaimed by the Canadian and international press. The band has opened for and played with some of the country's most respected acts since. They are currently at work on a third effort which will be released in the Fall of 2010.
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"A LONG DASH" IN MP3 THROUGH
ALBUM REVIEWS
"Advancing an already progressive sound, C-Antoine Gosselin and Philippe Custeau present another gorgeously rendered rock record as Jake and the Leprechauns. The Sherbrooke, QC duo are smitten by a rustic muse yet beholden to harsher, intricate noise... it's the vision of Jake and the Leprechauns that makes this sophomore record so vital." EXCLAIM! (Canada)
"Four stars!" ALTCOUNTRY.NL (Netherlands)
“8 out of 10 (…) they manage to bridge the sun-dappled bucolic wistfulness with the umbra of dark noise as elegantly as Santiago Calatrava joins two banks of a river (...) These songs are beautiful and seem to be of the same aesthetic as Bon Iver or Fleet Foxes.†Americana.uk (England)
"(...)le deuxième disque de Jake and the Leprechauns déstabilise. Ses guitares hurlantes évoquent l'expérimentation de Wilco, et puis hop, on nous balance une pièce fragile, teintée de violoncelles, précédée d'un folk-rock americana feutré, raffiné. Prêts pour la cour des grands, vous dites? À découvrir." VOIR (CANADA)
"[Jake and the Leprechauns] make cinematographic music that would be at home in a nature documentary. With this newest release, things should take off for these two very talented musicians." ROOTSTIME.BE (Belgium)
“Un merveilleux disque d’Américana avec une foison de détail qui justifie de nombreuses écoutes. Jake and the Leprechauns savent cultiver la simplicité pour le plus grand bénéfice des chansons. De beaux moments de grâce sur ce disque.†RADIO-CANADA (Canada)
“Take a bit of Sufjan Stevens, a taste of Wilco, and a smattering of My Morning Jacket, and filter it through a Quebecois group of multi-talented musicians and you get this admirable new album from Jake and the Leprechauns.†CDBABY/Editor's pick(USA)
"A Long Dash (Followed by Ten Seconds of Silence) confirme les racines americana de la formation et comporte son lot de refrains ravageurs qu'on fredonne pour se réchauffer le coeur. "-- VOIR (Canada)
“*** 1/2 Dans la grande famille du folk-rock et de l’americana (…) il y a ce groupe de Sherbrooke qui met la barre haute pour bien des prétendants (...) ses fines musiques langoureuses et ses paroles mélancoliques touchent droit au but. †ICI (Canada)
"9 out of 10 (…) there is plenty here to reward you musically and lyrically. It’s a collision of early Neil Young and Mercury Rev. The record is steeped in country music with lyrics that bring the listener in; it’s an emotional ride and well worth finding this bunch of leprechauns (…) this fine debut release clearly demonstrates that these guys have bundles of talent."-- Americana.uk (England)
"Four Stars ****"-- AltCOUNTRY.NL (Netherlands)
"(...)this record is alternately harrowing and hopeful, with waves of experimental, ghostly country music crashing up against the vivid lyricism (...) Jake & the Leprechauns manage to write fragile songs wrought with emotion without coming across as delicate. On the contrary, there is conviction behind every utterance and note here, which is rare to hear on a band’s first album, making Jake & the Leprechauns an extraordinary find." --EXCLAIM! (Canada)
"The band labels itself 'Americana Sadgrass,' but they exceed this genre and make simply beautiful and powerful music (...) Jake and the Leprechauns' debut album makes you want to lick your fingers, at least if you like the better kind of Americana." -- ROOTSTIME (Belgium)
"If you’ve ever driven through the eastern seaboard in the dead of fall and wondered what it sounded like, Jake and the Leprechauns have discovered that sound. Their self-titled album captures a blend of bluegrass and the indie-ballad which results in an eclectic form of ‘shoegrass.’"-- POP MONTREAL (Canada)
"(...)Album exceptionnel. Jake and the Leprechauns (...) transforment l'air autour de vous, ralentissent votre pouls, ne donnent que l'envie de faire entrer le soleil dans notre tete (...) Une alchimie des sons unique et indivisible. Quatre Etoiles ****" -- LA TRIBUNE (Canada)
"Le collectif sherbrookois ne cesse de prouver qu'il mérite de jouer dans la cour des grands. Avec sa voix haut perchée, Charles-Antoine Gosselin chante les magnifiques paroles de Philippe Custeau telle une religieuse qui égrène un précieux chapelet. Allumons un lampion car ce groupe a l'ambition et le talent pour conquérir le coeur des mélomanes"-- VOIR (Canada)
"Un projet ambitieux (...) rivalisant avec les recentes parutions des grosses huiles du genre a la Bonnie 'Prince' Billy et Cat Power." -- BANG BANG (Canada)
"Quatre Etoiles **** (...) le groupe a de quoi séduire la mer d'anglos qui nous entoure avec ses douces chansons indie folk teintées de country et de rock. Ça sonne comme un disque qui pourrait faire le tour du monde."-- VOIR (Canada)
Waiting to Converge from Jake and the Leprechauns on Vimeo .
You can reach us at: info (at) jakeandtheleprechauns (dot) com
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