Until in Excess, Imperceptible UFO

Since 2003, the Montreal indie-rock collective Besnard Lakes has been perfecting their blend of dreamy, otherworldly indie rock; on their fourth album, Until In Excess, Imperceptible UFO, they hit a new, blissful peak. Frontman Jace Lasek, bassist (and Lasek’s wife) Olga Goreas, along with drummer Kevin Laing and guitarist Richard White, once again ply their elongated, swooning harmonies, like The Beach Boys at half-speed, over majestic, glacially moving rock suites. According to the band, the album has a vague concept of sorts, a “journey of introspection” told by multiple narrators that deals with “the endurance of the human spirit during prophetic times.” Whatever this means is not clear, but the yearning, searching feeling shines through nonetheless. On the atypically brisk, “People of the Sticks,” the album’s spiritual center and immediate highlight, the Lakes hit an energetic peak, yet there’s still a settled sublimity at the music’s core, allowing them Lakes to continue their low-key reign as the best dreamers in indie-rock.