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Avg: 3.5 (412 ratings)
- Date Released: February 20, 2007
- Genre: Alternative/Punk
- Style: Indie Rock
- Label: Jagjaguwar / SC Distribution
A masterful balancing act of joyous highs and weighty melancholia.
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We Say...
An uneasy relationship between light and shade permeates this second release from Canada’s Besnard Lakes. From the sleeve’s depiction of a coal-black horse emerging from — or is it being consumed by — dazzling flame, to the deceptive sunshine harmonies that carry lyrics laced with deception and vice, contrast resonates through every level. Twinned with the band’s deft application of texture, the tensions create a wonderfully absorbing record.
By embracing the unexpected, The Besnard Lakes Are the Dark Horse places itself beyond the perimeters of post-rock. Each track confidently establishes a stylistic crossroads, where the bristle and fuzz of mesmeric sonic adventures meet meticulous arrangements and an ear for delicate touches — exemplified by the mournful trills of trumpet on “Ride the Rails.” Elsewhere, “For Agent 13” builds from humble beginnings to an almighty falsetto climax, whilst the blustering “Devastation” skillfully mixes sandstorm guitar lines with a choral group that sound primed to usher in a cataclysm. In balancing the joyous highs with weighty melancholia, weaving the rough with the beautiful and securing the fragile accord between soaring and silence, the Besnard Lakes have crafted a startling piece of work. -
They Say...
The Montreal-based husband-and-wife duo of the Besnard Lakes really work some of the old yin-and-yang magic on their debut release The Besnard Lakes Are the Dark Horse. Throughout the eight tracks, the push-and-pull of crunchy guitars versus delicate, stringy instrumentation seems to reflect the dynamic between Olga Goreas and Jace Lasek themselves (with wife Goreas, seemingly the prime instigator for the power chords). It's a slightly indulgent affair, but the only way to get these seemingly disparate qualities to play nice on an album together is to sweat over it -- and sweat they did, but not on somebody else's timecard. Utilizing their own studio, Goreas and Lasek could, and did, take plenty of time getting their vision to come through in the mixes, and the ebb-and-flow between abrasive and lilting isn't half as jarring as you might think. It's like a Beach Boys album when it's calm and a Queen album when it's crunchy, but all filtered through what must be one hell of a record collection over at the Goreas-Lasek homestead.
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| 01. |  |
Disaster |
5:42 |
|
| 02. | |
For Agent 13 |
5:12 |
|
| 03. | |
And You Lied To Me |
7:20 |
|
| 04. | |
Devastation |
5:50 |
|
| 05. | |
Because Tonight |
7:11 |
|
| 06. | |
Rides the Rails |
4:56 |
|
| 07. | |
On Bedford and Grand |
5:06 |
|
| 08. | |
Cedric's War |
4:05 |
|
08 Total Tracks, 45:22 Total Length
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Credits
- John Golden - Mastering // Chris Seligman - French Horn // George Donoso III - Drums // Sophie Trudeau - Violin // Heather Schnarr - Violin // Jace Lasek - Organ // Jace Lasek - Synthesizer // Jace Lasek - Bass // Jace Lasek - Guitar // Jace Lasek - Piano // Jace Lasek - Drums // Jace Lasek - Tambourine // Jace Lasek - Vocals // Jace Lasek - Producer // Jace Lasek - Engineer // Jace Lasek - Fender Rhodes // Jace Lasek - Mixing // Jace Lasek - Lap Steel Guitar // Jace Lasek - Group Member // Corri Lynn Tetz - Choir, Chorus // Corri Lynn Tetz - Cover Painting // Elizabeth Powell - Choir, Chorus // Daniel Murphy - Design // Daniel Murphy - Design Assistant // Susan Beckett - Choir, Chorus // Billy Bouffard - Flute // Billy Bouffard - Sax (Soprano) // Fifth String Liberation Singer Choir - Choir, Chorus // Olga Goreas - Organ // Olga Goreas - Synthesizer // Olga Goreas - Bass // Olga Goreas - Drums // Olga Goreas - Glockenspiel // Olga Goreas - Vocals // Olga Goreas - Choir, Chorus // Olga Goreas - Producer // Olga Goreas - Group Member // Eric La Rock - Bass // Nicole Lizée - Synthesizer // Nicole Lizée - Bass // Nicole Lizée - Piano // Nicole Lizée - Fender Rhodes // Nicole Lizée - Horn Arrangements // Nicole Lizée - String Arrangements // Nicole Lizée - Saxophone Arrangement // Nicole Lizée - Flute Arrangement // Nicole Lizée - Group Member // Catherine McCandless - Choir, Chorus // Steve Raegele - Guitar // Steve Raegele - Vocals // Steve Raegele - Soloist // Steve Raegele - Group Member // David Wm. Smith - Engineer // David Wm. Smith - Mixing // Jean Paul Terron - Drums // Richard White - Group Member
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