BESNARD LAKES - Besnard Lakes Are The Dark Horse Review

Something I've always wondered is how people become aware of a band and fall in love with them. Are the majority of ears pricked from the airwaves, through hyperactive videos on music television, through relational websites such as Last FM or Pandora?...full text Clap Your Hands Say Yeah submerged their aspiring anthems in a producer’s chaos; the Arcade Fire hit Nebraska’s borders and went glum; and Menomena, well, shit, I guess they’re still just Menomena. In any case, 2007’s startin’ pretty gloomy for indie, and the Besnard Lakes are gonna make us stand in the rain a little longer....full text Jace Lasek’s Montreal-based group – here featuring moonlighting members of The Dears and Godspeed You! Black Emperor – mix loud, reverb-heavy guitars, grandiose orchestration and prog-rock soundscapes with Beach Boys harmonies.

Trying to incorporate all these disparate elements is a bold move, but Lasek’s ambition has resulted in an amazing album: songs such as “Disaster” are as beautiful as they are dark and disturbing....full text