Les Momies de Palerme

Les Momies de Palerme was formed in Montreal in Autumn 2006 by multi-instrumentalists Xarah Dion and Marie Davidson. Creating immersive, meditative arrangements of synthesizers, guitar, processed violin and vocals, and frequently incorporating video projections, props and costumes into their performances, Les Momies have become a fixture of the Montreal avant-garde music community, performing frequently in local independent venues and loft spaces (particularly La Brique, a collectively-run art space of which both Xarah and Marie were members), and sharing bills with such acts as Shalabi Effect, Alexandre St-Onge and the Murray Street Band.

During Fall 2007 they recorded their first collection of songs, L’amour sincere, self-released as a CD-R and which would soon top the music charts of CKUT radio at McGill University. Throughout 2008 and 2009 Les Momies continued to gather momentum locally, appearing on stages with Pas Chic Chic and Stars of the Lid, and playing such festivals as Suoni Per Il Popolo, CoolFest and POP Montréal, Quebec City’s L’Off festival, and the world-renowned Festival de Musique Actuelle de Victoriaville, in Victoriaville, QC.

In the Spring of 2008, Xarah and Marie joined Sam Shalabi’s Land of Kush orchestra, and appeared on both recordings produced by the ensemble: Against The Day and Monogamy.

In 2008 a lengthy recording process at The Pines studio with Dave Bryant (Godspeed You! Black Emperor) was undertaken, from which Brûlez ce coeur, their second album emerged. Hauntingly beautiful and strikingly unconventional in both structure and sonic palette, Brûlez ce coeur was eventually released in the Fall of 2010 as part of Constellation’s Musique Fragile Vol. 1 box set – a limited-edition and artwork-intensive three album collection. As of April 2012, Brûlez ce coeur will be available as a stand-alone album on CD, 180g LP and digital formats.