As unfashionably behind the times as I always seem to be, I can't resist posting about last week's band of the week, Montreal's The Besnard Lakes who released a new album called "The Besnard Lakes Are The Dark Horse."

largeheartedboy posted a link last week to a Paste Magazine article (based out of Decatur Georgia) that describes Besnard Lakes' latest album as something of a mix of influences, mostly drawing on Roy Orbision, The Beach Boys, and Pink Floyd.

Intrigued by the prospects of a shoegaze mashup of the three distinct sounds, I searched about for a while and found this track from their album: And You Lied To Me, linked to from alternapop. Give it a few listens and you'll understand the various influences listed. The alternapop author also writes, "The Besnard Lakes have shown that they are masters of finely-honed experimental pop songs that invoke the eerie Lynchian setting." A strong endorsement indeed when combined with the other three listed influences.

Now they're no Fjord Rowboat in terms of alternapop's categorization as space-pop/shoegaze-like, but I'm impressed with the soundscape that they create on the track, and if the rest of the album is anything like the description (hints of Fleetwood Mac apparently), I'm sold and will track down a copy of this album.

More tracks from the band's old website here:
Skyscraper Girls
For Spy Turned Musician
You Got To Want To Be A Star

I haven't listened to those tracks from their previous album(s)? yet and the website is under renovation, so YMMV.