Besnard Lakes / Young Galaxy tonight in Ottawa

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Tonight in Ottawa The Besnard Lakes and openers Young Galaxy are playing Zaphod Beeblebrox, show is standard Zaphod's times, ~8:30/9:00 - 11:00 sharp.

Samples can be found at http://www.myspace.com/thebesnardlakes and http://www.myspace.com/younggalaxy

Tickets were $10 in advance, so probably a couple bucks more at the door.

Should be a great show on a busy music night in Ottawa. Elliott Brood and The Acorn have almost sold out Barrymore's, Strung Out have sold out Babylon, My Dad vs Yours and Reverb Syndicate are at the Black Sheep...

So come to Zaphods.

You may not have heard of Jace Lasek, but you very well may have heard him, in a manner of speaking, more times than you're aware.The Montreal native has been a staple of that city's music for a while, and Canadian indie luminaries Wolf Parade, Islands, Stars and Sunset Rubdown all having recorded sessions at his Breakglass Studios.This year, however, his own musical outlet, The Besnard Lakes, came into its own with its second album, The Besnard Lakes Are the Dark Horse. Rich with Beach Boys style harmonies, Roy Orbison reverbs and orchestra, Pink Floyd's pacing and Freddy Mercury's falsetto, The Besnard Lakes Are The Dark Horse is a luxurious foray into sound and music.

...the galloping turbo-charged explosion of their 'Are The Dark Horse' debut...A colossal faceoff between 70s guitar rock operatics, delicate vocal harmonies and intimate string arrangements, the Lakes' Dark Horse nails the perfect balance between big-canvas psychedelic grandeur and headphone-friendly details. An early contender for the best of 07.

For sheer breathtaking beauty, though, nothing in indie rock this year will match "Devastation", in which towering walls of shoe-gazer guitar and chorus-of-angels vocals add up to a track that's every bit as powerful as its name. Based on that bombastic monster alone, Are the Dark Horse has confirmed The Besnard Lakes as one of the year's big winners.

This is the second record by The Besnard Lakes, Montrealers by way of Western Canada. Their independently released previous record, Volume I, came out in 2004, and it was noticed by critics but was largely overlooked by the public at large. On both records, The Besnard Lakes have shown that they are masters of finely-honed experimental pop songs that invoke the eerie Lynchian setting as aided and abetted by the music of Julee Cruise. But, on The Besnard Lakes Are The Dark Horse, the band throws into the mix a mad dash of Fleetwood Mac proportioned swagger and ambition. Not so incidentally, The Besnard Lakes have created a masterpiece that will resonate within all quarters, amongst critics, casual and not-so-casual rock listeners, garden variety pop fans and headphone junkies.

The Besnard Lakes Are The Dark Horse was recorded by Jace Lasek at the Breakglass Studios (whose production credits include Wolf Parade, Islands, Sunset Rubdown and Stars, amongst others) with his wife and band member, Olga Goreas. The other members of The Besnard Lakes, Steve Raegele, Nicole Lizée, and Kevin Laing, contributed as well. Nicole wrote dark string and horn parts, Steve wrote dark guitar solos, Kevin, dark drumming. Also joining in on the making of this record would be George Donoso III from The Dears, Chris Seligman from Stars, Sophie Trudeau from Godspeed/Silver Mt. Zion and Jonathan Cummins from Bionic/Doughboys.

Formed in the fog and bonfires of the West Coast and currently based in the romance and severity of Montreal, Young Galaxy create a kaleidoscopic sound with heavy tones and hypnotic male/female vocals.

Young Galaxy is the creative confluence of kindred spirits, Stephen Ramsay (vocals/guitar) and Catherine McCandless (keyboards/vocals). They formed in Vancouver and moved to Montreal to record with Jace Lasek (Besnard Lakes) at his Breakglass Studio in the summer of 2005 and spring of 2006. Their sound is kaleidoscopic, with heavy tones and hypnotic male/female vocals. The self-titled debut album also features collaborations from The Dears, Besnard Lakes, Stars, Patrick Watson, A Silver Mount Zion and other dear friends. Like their namesake, Young Galaxy has borne something concrete of something abstract and ephemeral.

Gorgeous, cosmic and spiritual.

[meggo]

neato! i am planning on going.