The Besnard Lakes are a Canadian indie rock band from Montreal, Canada, who were formed in 2003 by the husband and wife team of Jace Lasek and Olga Goreas, and the band are currently a six-piece, featuring Kevin Laing on drums, Richard White on guitar, Sheenah Ko on keyboards and Robbie MacArthur on guitar. Centered around the atmospheric songs of Lasek and Goreas, whose expansive sound draws from numerous aspects of rock 'n' roll history, their name comes from Besnard Lake in North-Central Saskatchewan. They released their first album, 'Volume 1', on their own Breakglass Records label in 2003, and after signing to Jagjaguwar Records, their second album, 'The Besnard Lakes Are The Dark Horse' was recorded at singer Lasek's own Breakglass Studios, with members of Stars, The Dears and Godspeed You! Black Emperor/Silver Mt. Zion making guest appearances, This was my introduction to their unique sound, and I was not at all surprised when it was nominated for the 2007 Polaris Music Prize. It was followed in March 2010 by 'The Besnard Lakes Are The Roaring Night', and it was preceded by a 12" single featuring album track 'Albatross' and the non-album 'Four Long Lines' in February. Once again, the album was shortlisted as a nominee for the 2010 Polaris Music Prize. The band next wrote their first film score for the film 'Sympathy For Delicious', from actor/director Mark Ruffalo, and they also wrote and performed the score for the National Film Board of Canada web documentary 'Welcome To Pine Point', which they released as a 12" EP entitled 'You Lived In The City'.
A new studio album, 'Until in Excess, Imperceptible UFO', was released in April 2013, and inevitably it was longlisted for the 2013 Polaris Music Prize. In 2014, guitarist Richard White removed himself from the band's touring line-up, although he continues to play on their albums, and he was replaced for live performances by guitarist Robbie MacArthur. Following the completion of the 'Until in Excess, Imperceptible UFO' tour, both MacArthur and touring keyboardist Sheenah Ko joined the band's full line-up, and the six-piece began work on their fifth studio album, 'A Coliseum Complex Museum', which was preceded in late 2015 by an EP entitled 'The Golden Lion'. After a gap of two years, the band reappeared with the 'The Besnard Lakes Are The Divine Wind' EP, but it was to be another four years before we heard any new music from them, and so 'The Last Of The Great Thunderstorm Warnings' was gratefully received by their fans. A 27-minute long EP, entitled 'The Besnard Lakes Are The Prayers For The Death Of Fame', came out in October 2022 on Full Time Hobby, and their most recent release was the 14-track live album, 'The Besnard Lakes Are A Live', which appeared just a few months ago. The Besnard Lakes have been one of my favourite bands ever since I first heard '...The Dark Horse' album, and having now collected and listened to these non-album singles, b-sides and covers, I love them even more.
Track listing
Disc I - 2004-2010
01 Life Rarely Begins With Tungsten Film #2 (single 2004)
02 Aviation (b-side of 'Life Rarely Begins With Tungsten Film #2')
03 Would Anybody Come To Visit Me (single 2005)
04 Casino Nanaimo (single 2007)
05 The Beautiful Ones (Prince cover 2008)
06 Love You (from 'The Madcap Laughs Again!' 2010)
07 Four Long Lines (b-side of 'Albatross' 2010)
08 I've Got A Feeling (from the MOJO compilation 'Let It Be Revisited' 2010)
Disc II - 2011-2015
01 We're Here For A Good Time (Not A Long Time) (from the 'You Lived In The City' EP 2011)
02 Holiday Sin (from the 'You Lived In The City' EP 2011)
03 Some Colour In The Sky (from the 'You Lived In The City' EP 2011)
04 The Corner (from the 'You Lived In The City' EP 2011)
05 You Make Loving Fun (from 'Rumours Revisited' 2013)
06 The Motorway (b-side of 'Golden Lion' 2015)
07 In The Forest (b-side of 'Golden Lion' 2015)
Disc III - 2017-2024
01 Laura Lee (from '...Are The Divine Wind' EP 2017)
02 The Divine Wind (from '...Are The Divine Wind' EP 2017)
03 Superego (free 7" single with 'Thunderstorm Warnings' album 2021)
04 She's An Icicle (from '...Are The Prayers For The Death Of Fame' EP 2022)
05 A Jackey For A Rainy Lady (from '...Are The Prayers For The Death Of Fame' EP 2022)
06 Silver Shadows (from '...Are The Prayers For The Death Of Fame' EP 2022)
07 (Dizzy) Eagle (single 2024)
Thanks to _ilovebeans for providing the copy of 'Aviation'.
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