The Besnard Lakes — Are The Dark Horse

We were talking in the office recently about bands that sound good on CD that you would never want to see live. The Besnard Lakes are the definition of that sort of band. Shoegazers to the bone, the group's second disc is a sonic treat, but one that never really gets out of third gear. Jace Lasek and Olga Goreas expertly evoke the hazy sounds of early '70s rock throughout the eight songs on the LP, and the group are the perfect soundtrack to your Sunday winter afternoon or summer night on the patio. So what's the problem? Basically, some of the songs go on too long and there's not much variation from one to the next. A little change in tempo would have gone a long way.