The Besnard Lakes - Until In Excess, Imperceptible UFO
Label.........................: Jagjaguwar
Genre.........................: Indie
StoreDate.....................: Apr-02-2013
Source........................: CDDA
Grabber.......................: Exact Audio Copy (Secure Mode)
Encoding Scheme...............: Lame 3.98.4 V0 VBR Joint-Stereo
Size..........................: 83.98 MB
Total Playing Time............: 48:40
Release Notes:
The Besnard Lakes make music as elegant as their album titles are
clunky. The Montreal quartetÆs fourth record, Until in Excess,
Imperceptible UFO, is no exception. The groupÆs co-auteurs, Jace Lasek
and Olga Goreas, approach the construction of Besnard LakesÆ LPs with
the same level of fastidiousness that Brian Wilson and Roger Waters
displayed on masterworks of studiocraft like Pet Sounds and Dark Side of
the Moon. Lasek and Goreas arenÆt mere songwriters who produce pop
tunes; they are composers who create musical suites out of sweepingly
melodic movements. Until in Excess is the most ôcomposedö Besnard LakesÆ
album yet-- the band worked on different sections of the albumÆs eight
songs, and shifted them around like puzzle pieces until achieving the
perfect specimens of epic-osity that Lasek and Goreas heard echoing like
an interstellar church choir in their heads.
Which is to say, Until in Excess more or less delivers on the ôwowö
factor one has come to expect from a Besnard Lakes album. As with 2007Æs
The Besnard Lakes are the Dark Horse and 2010Æs The Besnard Lakes are
the Roaring Night, Until in Excess doesnÆt skimp on the creamy vocal
harmonies, booming drum rattles, cinematic strings swooshes, and wicked
David Gilmour guitar solos that explode out of the murk with dependably
dramatic elan. Well, actually, there arenÆt that many guitar solos on
Until the Excess: ôPeople of the Sticksö climaxes with some
awe-inspiring six-string heroics by Lasek, as does the slow-building
ôColour Yr Lights Inö, where the squiggly arpeggios lift the anthemic
chorus to the precipice of prog-rock nirvana. But aside from the heavy
riffing that grinds throughout ôAt Midnightö, rock music takes a
backseat to loftier ambitions on Until in Excess. Lasek and Goreas
instead turn the uplifting expressiveness that Besnard Lakes is known
for in on itself, fostering a mood of introspective melancholy on a
series of slow, orchestral-like pieces.
Most of Until in Excess resembles ôCatalinaö, a beautiful slow-motion
shoegazer symphony that lards on nearly two minutes of introductory
new-age synths before easing into the glimmering, mid-tempo meat of the
track. Besnard Lakes reliably fill the vastness of their huge-sounding
music with immaculate musical ornamentation, and ôCatalinaö is a fine
example of their impeccable Canadian architecture. (Look out for the
dreamy surf-guitar accents laid out delicately in the mix that donÆt
make themselves fully discernible until the third or fourth listen.)
ôThe Specterö is another stunner, opening with a splashy electric
keyboard lick that soon gives way for exquisite guitar-driven
counter-melodies and spectral mellotron washes. Neither track seems all
that concerned with chorus-verse orderliness, which suits a record that
favors atmosphere over punchy songs.
So, yes, Until in Excess is another Besnard LakesÆ album album that
stubbornly demands to be absorbed all at once, from beginning to end.
Other than ôPeople of the Sticksö, the individual songs havenÆt been
designed to stick out from the whole; the deliberate pace makes the
entirety of Until in Excess feel like one long, woozy track. While the
winking title doesnÆt exactly do the album justice-- itÆs not as
ôexcessiveö so much as ôdenseö-- Until in Excess does lack some of the
immediacy of Besnard LakesÆ other records. The album closing
ôAlamogordoö ends with three attention-killing minutes of ambient noise,
finally wearing out the welcome for an otherwise captivating collection.
For all its beauty, Until in Excess is a little draggy; the balance of
ethereal grace and all-out force that distinguished their breakout Dark
Horse has tipped a little too far to the ponderous side. Until in Excess
rewards patience, but the roar of old is missed.
--7.3/10 Pitchfork
Tracklisting
01. 46 Satires 6:44
02. And Her Eyes Were Painted Gold 5:24
03. People Of The Sticks 5:27
04. The Specter 6:33
05. At Midnight 5:50
06. Catalina 6:14
07. Colour Yr Lights In 5:24
08. Alamogordo 7:04
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