THE BESNARD LAKES The Besnard Lakes Are The Roaring Night (Jagjaguwar)

“Widescreen rock” is a genre I coined to describe bands/artists who paint their own new masterpieces on the broad canvas of five decades of pop-rock music. Comic fans will be aware that I “borrowed” the phrase from writer Warren Ellis who described his comic book series, the Authority as “widescreen comics”.

In my humble estimation, “widescreen rock” includes the likes of The Flaming Lips, Mercury Rev and the now defunct Grandaddy. Well, I’m glad to also induct Canadian band, The Besnard Lakes, into the Widescreen Rock Hall of Fame! I found the band’s sophomore effort – The Besnard Lakes Are The Dark Horses – akin to listening to Pink Floyd fronted by Brian Wilson, and one of the best albums of 2007.

This new album (due for release in early March), continues the fine form shown on Dark Horses, with the band drawing from the deep well of arcane rock, with references dropped to psychedelic rock, country-folk and prog throughout. With treated guitars, soaring vocals, electronic sound effects, old school keyboards, the songs here sound modern and classic at the same time – familiar and yet strange. The combination of the male-female vocal dynamic between Jace Lasek and Olga Goreas is priceless, as well.

Astute listeners will catch the heady influences of Neil Young, Beach Boys, Pink Floyd, Bob Dylan, the Bee Gees and the aforementioned widescreen rock bands in fine tracks like Chicago, Albatross, The Innocent and Light Up the Night. Modern rock fans into the Arcade Fire, Broken Social Scene and the Animal Collective (all current proponents of widesrceen rock) will definitely want to check out the Besnard Lakes.

Free download of Albatross here. A video below.

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