CD Review: Besnard Lakes The Besnard Lakes Are The Roaring Night (Jagjaguar, March 2010)
By Adam Perry for the Albuquerque Alibi
Often compared to Arcade Fire and Broken Social Scene – but really only due to their size and their Canadian home-base—Montreal’s Besnard Lakes are no longer indie rock’s dark horse. Singer/guitarist/producer Jace Lasek’s high-pitched crooning, which harkens back to the Beach Boys and Chicago, spearheads the group’s sweeping psychedelic rock ala the Cocteau Twins, and on The Besnard Lakes Are the Roaring Night they return with even bigger guitars and attention-demanding many-part harmonies. Lasek is a noted producer of Canadian sensations such as Stars and Wolf Parade, but the larger-than-life, crawling symphonic rock of Besnard Lakes is actually more impressive than those more famous acts. The co-ed band’s third full-length is their all-around best yet – regularly shimmering and exploding as if pulling listeners into a dream – although at times the album’s gentleness is less penetrating than vicious America-bashing past tracks like “And You Lied To Me.”
Adam Perry 