The Besnard Lakes Are the Roaring Night
Encyclopedia
The Besnard Lakes Are the Roaring Night is the third studio album by the Canadian
rock band
The Besnard Lakes
, released in North America
on March 9, 2010. The lead single, "Albatross", was released as a 12-inch single
on February 9, 2010.
The band describe the album as "psychedelic rock
- each song is its own little world, an atmosphere. I’ve always been enamored with these songs that take forever to get going, long songs that build, with a story and a long build to a climax." Thematically, the album continues their lyrical style of combining fictional and true stories. Main songwriters Jace Lasek
and Olga Goreas have different thematical approaches to their songwriting on the album. Lasek's songs usually revolve around a retired spy who worked during the war and is now a lousy musician, while Goreas' songs are more inspired by her personal experiences.
The album was tracked and recorded at the band's own studio, Breakglass Studio, using a 1968 Neve germanium mixing console rumoured to have been used to record portions of Led Zeppelin
's Physical Graffiti
, and introduces some new instrumentation for the band: 12 string guitar, flute
, omnichord
, and mellotron
.
The album was a shortlisted nominee for the 2010 Polaris Music Prize
.
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
rock band
Rock Band
Rock Band is a music video game developed by Harmonix Music Systems, published by MTV Games and Electronic Arts. It is the first title in the Rock Band series. The PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 versions were released in the United States on November 20, 2007, while the PlayStation 2 version was...
The Besnard Lakes
The Besnard Lakes
The Besnard Lakes are a Canadian indie rock band from Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Formed in 2003 by the husband and wife team of Jace Lasek and Olga Goreas, two of their three albums have been nominated for the Polaris Music Prize.-History:...
, released in North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
on March 9, 2010. The lead single, "Albatross", was released as a 12-inch single
12-inch single
The 12-inch single is a type of gramophone record that has wider groove spacing compared to other types of records. This allows for louder levels to be cut on the disc by the cutting engineer, which in turn gives a wider dynamic range, and thus better sound quality...
on February 9, 2010.
The band describe the album as "psychedelic rock
Psychedelic rock
Psychedelic rock is a style of rock music that is inspired or influenced by psychedelic culture and attempts to replicate and enhance the mind-altering experiences of psychedelic drugs. It emerged during the mid 1960s among folk rock and blues rock bands in United States and the United Kingdom...
- each song is its own little world, an atmosphere. I’ve always been enamored with these songs that take forever to get going, long songs that build, with a story and a long build to a climax." Thematically, the album continues their lyrical style of combining fictional and true stories. Main songwriters Jace Lasek
Jace Lasek
Jace Lasek is a Canadian musician and producer living in Montreal. He and his wife Olga Goreas are the principal songwriters for the Montreal-based indie rock band The Besnard Lakes. Lasek plays guitar, bass, drums and keyboards. He is also the band's lead vocalist.Furthermore, Lasek runs...
and Olga Goreas have different thematical approaches to their songwriting on the album. Lasek's songs usually revolve around a retired spy who worked during the war and is now a lousy musician, while Goreas' songs are more inspired by her personal experiences.
The album was tracked and recorded at the band's own studio, Breakglass Studio, using a 1968 Neve germanium mixing console rumoured to have been used to record portions of Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin were an English rock band, active in the late 1960s and throughout the 1970s. Formed in 1968, they consisted of guitarist Jimmy Page, singer Robert Plant, bassist/keyboardist John Paul Jones, and drummer John Bonham...
's Physical Graffiti
Physical Graffiti
Physical Graffiti is the sixth studio album by the English rock band Led Zeppelin, released on 24 February 1975 as a double album. Recording sessions for the album were initially disrupted when bassist/keyboardist John Paul Jones considered leaving the band...
, and introduces some new instrumentation for the band: 12 string guitar, flute
Flute
The flute is a musical instrument of the woodwind family. Unlike woodwind instruments with reeds, a flute is an aerophone or reedless wind instrument that produces its sound from the flow of air across an opening...
, omnichord
Omnichord
The Omnichord is an electronic musical instrument, introduced in 1981 and manufactured by the Suzuki Musical Instrument Corporation. It typically features a touch plate, and buttons for major, minor, and diminished chords...
, and mellotron
Mellotron
The Mellotron is an electro-mechanical, polyphonic tape replay keyboard originally developed and built in Birmingham, England in the early 1960s. It superseded the Chamberlin Music Master, which was the world's first sample-playback keyboard intended for music...
.
The album was a shortlisted nominee for the 2010 Polaris Music Prize
2010 Polaris Music Prize
The 2010 edition of the Canadian Polaris Music Prize was presented on September 20, 2010. The gala presentation was held at Toronto's Masonic Temple, and was hosted by Grant Lawrence of CBC Radio 3 and Sarah Taylor of MuchMusic....
.
Track listing
- "Like the Ocean, Like the Innocent Pt. 1: The Ocean" - 1:39
- "Like the Ocean, Like the Innocent Pt. 2: The Innocent" - 7:17
- "Chicago Train" - 5:18
- "Albatross" - 4:42
- "Glass Printer" - 3:54
- "Land of Living Skies Pt. 1: The Land" - 1:05
- "Land of Living Skies Pt. 2: The Living Skies" - 5:42
- "And This Is What We Call Progress" - 5:10
- "Light Up the Night" - 7:25
- "The Lonely Moan" - 4:19