Obvious Puzzle

Paradox were an English-language pop-rock band from Grand-Mère, Quebec, formed in 1984 by vocalist Sylvain Cossette, bassist Jean-François Houle, and drummer Denis Lavigne. Although they came out of francophone Quebec, the group worked in English from the beginning, developing as a polished mainstream rock act at a time when Canadian radio still had room for melodic AOR, synth-edged pop-rock, and major-label regional discoveries. Before recording, Paradox built their reputation as a live cover band, performing material by artists such as The Beatles, U2, Frankie Goes To Hollywood, and Tears For Fears, while gradually introducing original songs into the set.

The band’s breakthrough came after manager Paul Levesque discovered them in 1986. In June 1988, Paradox received FACTOR support to record a demo, which helped lead to a recording deal with MCA. Sylvain’s brother François Cossette Jr. joined on guitar, completing the lineup that recorded the group’s self-titled debut. Released in 1989 through MCA Records in association with Artiste Records and Hot Mustard Records, Paradox introduced the band with a sleek late-1980s sound built around Cossette’s strong lead vocals, bright guitar textures, polished rhythm-section work, and radio-ready arrangements. Produced by Pierre Bazinet and engineered by Paul Milner, the album included “Waterline,” “Catch Me In The Act,” “One Look,” “When You Play,” “Another Day,” “I Will Remember,” “Some Kind Of Loving,” “Wait (Judy Your Eyes...),” “Walking On Air,” and “Freedom Calling.”

“Waterline” became the band’s best-known song, reaching No. 24 on the RPM chart in 1989. “Another Day” and “Catch Me In The Act” also received national exposure, helping establish Paradox as one of the more visible Quebec-based English-language pop-rock acts of the period. The momentum from the debut led to a 1990 Juno Award nomination for Most Promising Group of the Year, placing them alongside Brighton Rock, Indio, Sons of Freedom, and The Tragically Hip.

Paradox returned in 1991 with Obvious Puzzle, released by MCA Records. By this point the group had shifted into a revised recording lineup, with Sylvain Cossette on lead vocals, Jean-François Houle on bass and vocals, Denis Lavigne on drums, percussion, acoustic guitar, and mandolin, Vaughan Evans on guitar, and Jeff Côté on keyboards. Produced by Dan Boivin, John Alexander, Noel Golden, and Paradox, the album moved further into early-1990s pop-rock while retaining the melodic, radio-conscious approach of the debut. Its songs included “Technicolor Face,” “Kiss Me On The Lips,” “Business, Business,” “Somebody’s Somewhere,” “I’ll Be Back,” “All The Same,” “Life Inside A Dream,” “Love Slipped Through My Hands,” “Let’s Keep The High,” and “It’ll Take Some Time.”

“Kiss Me On The Lips” became the key single from Obvious Puzzle and spent time on RPM’s national Hit Tracks chart in 1991. The album arrived as Canadian mainstream rock was changing quickly, with the glossy production values of the late 1980s giving way to harder alternative, roots-rock, and grunge-era sounds. Despite major-label support and national radio attention, Paradox did not continue beyond the second album. The band appears to have played its final concert at the Spectrum in Montreal in 1991.

After Paradox, Sylvain Cossette launched a successful French-language solo career with Comme l’océan in 1994, later becoming one of Quebec’s best-known popular singers. His post-Paradox career included major album sales, Félix Awards, SOCAN recognition, Juno nominations, and stage work in large-scale musical productions including Notre Dame de Paris and Dracula. Paradox remains the starting point of that wider career, but also stands on its own as a brief, well-produced example of Quebec musicians entering the national English-language pop-rock market at the close of the 1980s.

-Robert Williston