The Besnard Lakes: The Besnard Lakes Are The Dark Horse

Like Arcade Fire riffing on Brian Wilson’s darkest nightmares, Montreal’s The Besnard Lakes are certainly intense. Not only does this seem to be a concept about World War II espionage, every track sounds like an epic finale. Like the apocalyptic ‘Devastation’, where three drummers, three bassists, three guitarists and a choir attempt to impersonate the Red Army in Berlin, or ‘And You Lied To Me’ which ends with a lengthy guitar blitzkrieg. Moments of beauty cut through the bleakness: the orchestral flourishes of ‘Disaster’ and ‘Because Tonight’ shine like chinks of light through a bunker roof. “They won’t play your song on the radio”, says ‘Devastation’. Maybe not, but you should.

Tom Pinnock