Search - Besnard Lakes :: Volume 1

Before the Besnard Lakes became the "Dark Horse"

Paul Allaer | Cincinnati | 12/24/2007

(4 out of 5 stars)

"The Besnard Lakes hail from Montreal and are centered around the husband-and-wife team of Jace Lacek and Olga Goreas. They recorded the bulk of the album by themselves, although in due course fleshed out the band, which now is a 6 piece. This is the band's debut album, which originally came out in 2003 but is now being re-released due to renewed interest in the band (more on that later).



"Volume 1" (7 tracks, 44 min.) starts off with an epic 10 min. "Skyscaper Girls", which at first will remind you perhaps of Film School, with the long instrumental intro, but then it evolves into more of a prog-rock soung. But after that the band turns more indie-rock with tracks like "This Thing" and a biting "For Spy Turned Musician". There is another 9+ min. epic "You've Got To Want To Be a Star", which takes it times developing, but I find nothing short of mesmorising and eventually turns into a shoe-gazing classic. The aptly titled "Deep Desultory Dream" is a 6+ min. insrtumental epic (with traces of psychedelic rock), and the album closes with another biting rocker "Life begins With Tungsten Film #1".



A few months ago, the Besnard Lakes finally released a follow-up album "The Besnard Lakes Are the Dark Horse", which nothing short of blew me away and is one of my top albums of 2007. I had the chance to see these guys in concert earlier this month, and they put on one of the most memorable shows for me this year, just fantastic. In case you are wondering where I found out about this band, I heard them on WOXY, the internet-only station that brings us "The Future of Rock and Roll". If you like the "Dark Horse" album, absolutely check out "Volume 1", you won't be disappointed!"