eMusic Review
Montreal quartet Besnard Lakes manage a mean feat: merging the elephantine drones of UK shoegaze bands with the free-flying vocals of bygone Southern California. Overdubbing with the kind of extravagance owning your own studio affords, the husband-wife duo of multi-instrumentalists Jace Lasek and Olga Goreas build dense and dynamic sonic mountains, assisted by fellow band members — guitarist Richard White, drummer Kevin Laing — and a small army of string and horn players. The album's slow-build, two-part opener, "Like the Ocean, Like the Innocent" indirectly describes itself: It creates tension by leading with shrill falsetto and then resolving it with reassuring harmonies and steadfast riffs — a slow and steady surge and recede.
Lasek and Goreas mostly shun individual performances, combining their voices instead to create a far sturdier whole. The instrumentation also benefits from group interaction, and the quartet has tightened considerably from previous outings. Where other bands lumber, the Lakes swing, and they offer ample light to compliment the shadows. Savor how the rhythm section locks a groove in "Chicago Train" as a thousand fuzz guitars swarm into the sunset; marvel how trombones and French horns slice through blocks of distortion to climax "Albatross" with unexpected elation. Despite… read more »
