Dave's The Besnard Lake Post

Firstly let me welcome you back to the hot spot blog spot. It’s all fired up and we even cleaned up a little knowing you’d be around more this season. Hope you enjoy what Ryan, Gary and I have going on here. Let’s - as they say - drop the needle, shall we?

“The Besnard Lakes Are the Roaring Nights” feels otherworldly when you first listen to it. It feels like a record not of our time –with life getting faster and faster these days – this album takes you out of that world and into well, a slow burn of a roaring night.

It has roaring guitars and drums that at times sound like there are four kits playing at one time that all create this musical landscape that builds up and builds up and perfectly works in compliment with the vocals from Olga Goreas and Jace Lasek. Throughout “…Are The Roaring Night” the vocals swirl and up and down the register and playing in tandem with the music until finally both music and vocal come together and create that moment where I find myself lost in this world that The Besnard Lakes have created. It’s like the music and vocals are playing a game of flirty chase, then finally they connect – like they were meant to be together – and everyone listening just knows it.

I can’t help be hear the Pixies in moments throughout this album. I know that’s easy to say – “well the Pixies influences everyone” - but here The Besnard Lakes seem to have captured a part of the Pixies sound that I really love – that ripping guitar and rhythmic beat blending together so perfectly. I also hear a lot of Mazzy Star, Olga’s vocals sound similar no doubt, but there is an emotional energy to the music that takes me back in different moments on “…Are The Roaring Night”

I can see the album becoming a little prog-y for some tastes, but once you buy in and set yourself up for the journey, I can’t see how you can give up on it. There are dark themes at play here - elements of nature played against personal emotional states that some may get lost in. But isn’t this the kind of insight we demand from our art anyway? For me these are elements that make this album completely satisfying and remarkable.

DAVE’S KEY TRACKS: 'Albatross'; 'Like the Ocean, Like the Innocent Pt. 2: The Innocent'; 'Light Up The Night'.

d