The Besnard Lakes are a Canadian indie rock band from Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Formed in 2003 by the husband and wife team of Jace Lasek and Olga Goreas, the band also includes Kevin Laing (drums), Richard White (guitar), Sheenah Ko (keyboards) and Robbie MacArthur (guitar).

On its 5th album, The Besnard Lakes continue their love affair with classic rock, taking diverse influences and blending them into a coherent whole that reflects the band’s own unique musical personality.

Much of this revolves around the chemistry between the voices Lasek and Goreas and a penchant for epic widescreen rock. Big melodies and big guitars. Loudness is not a factor, it’s more about dynamism and sophistication.

Thus, it isn’t difficult to find the band channeling the likes of Pink Floyd, The Doors, Neil Young & The Beach Boys on many of the tracks.

Take the six-minute closer “Tungsten 4: The Refugee”, where a musical journey is undertaken with aplomb and where that rarified of all creatures in 2016 – the guitar solo – makes a prominent contribution at the end.

Or the psychedelic ballad “Necronomicon” (gotta love a H.P. Lovecraft reference in your rock ’n’ roll) that weaves magical patterns across an insistent dreamy backbeat – the closest The Besnard Lakes might get to a pop song!

Which characterises where A Coliseum Complex Museum has deviated slightly for the band (when compared to recent fare), more concise songs that encapsulates the musical ambitions in a sharp manner – cue “Golden Lion” and “The Plain Moon” – perhaps representing clear attempts at greater accessibility.

However, one cannot imagine the average hipster having the attention span required for such sophisticated majesties! Sigh.

A very good start for 2016, it’s time for mindsets to change – to embrace the legacy of rock ’n’ roll by championing incandescent music like this. Kudos!

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