So, it’s seems real: Robert Marcel Lepage is back. Let’s rejoice! Last fall he released his first CD in eight years: Le lait maternel (a collection of film music scores recorded in the last decade). Then, in December, came Canard branchu, a bona fide group record, his most substantial album since 2003’s La machine à explorer le tempo. Canard branchu consists of 14 lively, animated, bouncy compositions of 2 to 4 minutes, all nicely twisted — just a bit, just enough. A blend of jazz and this musique actuelle Ambiances Magnétiques introduced to the world in the 1980s. No, I’m not being nostalgic; it’s just that this record is a strong comeback, in tune with the Lepage heard on Chants et danses du monde inanimé, Adieu Leonardo!, and Les Clarinettes ont-elles un escalier de secours? Here, he entrusted his music to a group of four clarinet players (among them: Guillaume Bourque and Lori Freedman), whom he joins occasionally, a horn player, and a rhythm section (organ, doublebass, drums). The organist also does some subtle treatment work. The music flows naturally, in turns funny and moving, and listening to this CD is pure unabashed delight.