The Besnard Lakes — Are The Roaring Night

If you get the nagging feeling that this album is reminding you of something you've heard before — perhaps of another band — you're probably just remembering The Besnard Lakes' previous disc, Are The Dark Horse.

It's becoming clear now that their breakthrough album took up a lot more space in the Canadian collective music unconscious than we realized when it came out in 2007.

At its core, Are The Roaring Night is not a lot different than Dark Horse, but the rock, psychedelics and arrangement have set a new standard for the Montreal foursome. From trippy, two-part opener "Like The Ocean, Like The Innocent," to the chugging "And This Is What We Call Progress," The Besnard Lakes have outdone themselves at every turn. Jace Lasek's vocals, predominantly unchanged as well, have somehow begun to take on a mythical, Wayne Coyne-ish quality.

Their lyrics aren't always clear (and it doesn't noticeably hurt the recording), but if you're curious, The Besnard Lakes have said that in Are The Roaring Night, "Loyalty, dishonor, love, and hatred are all seen through the eyes of two spies, communicating through short wave in code and fighting a war that may or may not be real."

Very few records come out each year that could be considered flawless. This is one of them. Who needs a new My Bloody Valentine album when we've got a band like this in our own backyard?

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