The Besnard Lakes – The Besnard Lakes Are The Roaring Night

It’s surprisingly difficult to feel let down by a new Besnard Lakes LP. Big on instrumentation and flowing melodies, the Montreal ensemble’s previous efforts sounded out a band with the capacity to combine indie rock appeal with complex arrangements. Album number three is as disarming as its predecessors. The dark, moonlit soundscapes of Like the Ocean, Like the Innocent... Pt. II: The Innocent and Light Up the Night meld post-rock structures with gooey harmonies to mesmerising effect. Chicago Train is equally engaging, passing from horn-blushed lilt to reverb-sodden ethereal pop without the trace of a seam. The record’s cavernous aesthetic can jade in places, with the comparatively tired Land of Living Skies, PtII: The Living Skies and album closer The Lonely Moan teetering between comatose and barely conscious. But, despite these lulls, The Besnard Lakes have composed an enriching mosaic of sound that comes very close to fulfilling its ambition. [Billy Hamilton]