Compilation tracks:

1. La pointe du jour
2. Petite galiote
3. Nikana / Jours de plaine
4. Diguedin
5. Le vent nous portera
6. Frank You
7. Wô
8. La vignelon
9. Au diable les avocats
10. Le wagon
11. Le petit moine
12. Le galant noyé (Yes for the Right)
13. Hold Up
14. En prison maintenant
15. La grande turlute
16. Le cou de ma bouteille

Feet as reliable and steady as a metronome. Vocal precision that is out of this world (they are “coal-miners of hell,” after all!). Les Charbonniers de l’enfer have gleaned their essential tracks to celebrate 25 years of traditional a cappella music. The result is 25 years of "grande noirceur," a worthy retrospective that is actually anything but dark for Michel Faubert, André Marchand, Michel Bordeleau, Normand Miron, and the late Jean-Claude Mirandette. Mouth music (turluttes), laments, podorythmy, harmonies, archaic connections, irregular rhythms, good-naturedness, humor, and a few bawdy tunes: it’s all there.

The music of Les Charbonniers de l’enfer is far from erring on the side of simplicity or arrangements that haven't aged well. On the contrary, 25 ans de grande noirceur is an opportunity to rediscover harmonies executed with finesse and delivered with a visceral, authentic, and instinctive energy. Petite galiote and La vignelon are prime examples. The use of pedal points (a sustained or repeated note at the bass of the harmony) adds richness to the arrangements. The splendid opening of Au diable les avocats (dating back to 2005), filled with surprising harmonic tensions, is equally compelling as an example of that richness. The pairing of Nikana with the soaring Jours de plaine by Daniel Lavoie (an arrangement from 2011) will give vocal harmony enthusiasts goosebumps. As for the decision, that same year, to set Noir Désir’s Le vent nous portera to a “turlutte,” it remains as astonishing as ever.

Returning to the very beginning of the group’s discography, the unison—demanding to pull off and worthy of mention—in their interpretation of Le galant noyé (Yes for the right) stands out. This 2005 arrangement transports us into the solemn world of a romantic tragedy typical of the folk repertoire. One can even detect a hint of Gregorian vesper influence in its melancholic treatment.

To provide contrast and prove they are still current, Les Charbonniers have even dared to include a remix! Le cou de ma bouteille has received an electro-pop update that may please the more adventurous, but risks making purists cringe!

– Nathan LeLièvre (ICI Musique)