French Canadian group Les Colocs (The Roommates) were a veritable melting pot of sounds—a mishmash of roots music with a political and socially conscious bent. Founded in 1990 by André “Dédé” Fortin, a Quebec sovereigntist, the band’s arrival was signalled by their debut hurricane of a folk record. The 1993 self-titled album included the rollicking country tune “La rue Principale” and earthy blues number “Séropositif boogie”, which harmonica player Patrick Esposito Di Napoli wrote about living with HIV (he would die of AIDS in 1994). On 1995’s Atrocetomique, Les Colocs opted for an even bigger, horn-blasted sound (see the brash bounce of “Bon’yeu”). Dehors novembre, their 1998 album, traded in reggae rhythms (“Tassez-vous de d’là”) and even offered a wild, single-song rock opera about a cat named “Belzébuth”. This album would effectively be the band’s swan song, as Fortin died by his own hand in 2000, leaving behind a legacy of vibrant, politically charged music.