Devastation – The Besnard Lakes
And You Lied To Me – The Besnard Lakes
The other night, I went to a rock show.
A rock show in an art museum, to be precise.
The Musée d’art contemporain de Montréal (or MACM for short, if the title didn’t already give that away) is an interesting place to see a concert. We lined up in the circular lobby for over an hour. The line spiraled around the outside of the room until its front and tail began to merge. Proper preparations to prevent cue jumping had not been taken.
This was perturbing.
None the less, when we were finally led into the basement of the building, my accomplice and I had no trouble securing front row space. The room itself was filled with eager concert goers of all ages. I stood next to someone more than twice my age. Quite possibly three times. This, coupled with the thick curtains shielding the walls made for an ideal listening environment.
A giant projector screen hung behind the stage. Images of burning logs, lights in the sky, and other such “meaningless artsy crap” (to quote a random member of the crowd) provided an excellent backdrop for the psychedelic musical experience we were all about to share.
I hadn’t actually been out to see a straight up rock band in quite a while, as I’ve been spending most of my time holed up in my room tweaking electronics, and when I go out it is to watch and learn. Deep in my soul, however, I am still a rocker. I still rock out. Under the right conditions, there is nothing like roaring full stacks, 4/4 hi-hat slosh, and strained vocals barely penetrating the mix.
A guitar solo wreathed in fiery distortion.
Bowel loosening bass.
A kick drum played by a real live human being!
The Besnard Lakes bring it.
I’ve seen them play a few times now, and they have consistently impressed me with their coordination and skill. They may not be doing anything that hasn’t already been done, but they sure as hell do it well. Every member proves themselves worthy, not an easy feat in a band with four guitarists (including bass) as well as three backup singers. The twin guitar solos at the end of And You Lied To Me perfectly anchored by a persistent rhythmic guitar framework. Layered tones bringing Devastation‘s riff home.
Most importantly they’ve got a well developed sense of dynamics, both on the stage and in the studio. Tension perfectly constructed and released. Subtle guitar elaborations into all out fuzzed-out squall.
A+
