by JOHNSON CUMMINS

The Besnard Lakes’ space-pop sound is not for the faint of heart, with three guitarists packing a sonic wallop that will have most popsters reaching for the earplugs. Layered keyboards, the aforementioned guit-army and psychedelic arrangements all pack in the denseness that perfectly offsets the Brian Wilson-influenced vocal harmonies lying underneath the maelstrom.

True, in the live setting, the band may pummel their epic pop. But listening to the completed tracks off their new record …Are the Dark Horse, one notes that the punches are pulled, leaving room to let the vocal harmonies come front and centre, with arrangements taking surprising turns and orchestration of strings as well as other unlikely instruments adding even more richness to their sound.

“With the first record, it was really Jace [Lasek, guitarist/singer] and I playing most of the instruments” says bassist/singer Olga Goreas. “We aren’t really a band that rehearses that much, unfortunately. We have more contribution from the rest of the band members on the new one. We would like to have more input from the band, but due to schedules it’s sometimes up to Jace and I to just get it done.”

Their 2003 debut Volume 1 was issued on the U.K. label Earworm this year, and a 10-inch has just been released on the U.K.’s Static Caravan label. This should prove to be their biggest year yet, with the completion of …Are the Dark Horse drawing near and more than a couple of larger indie labels hovering over them, awaiting the finished product. “When we played SXSW last year, a lot of people were interested in us simply because of where we’re from—at that time, there was this kind of Canada explosion. I don’t know if the hype has died down, but bells are definitely ringing for us now.”

See the Besnard Lakes live with Land of Talk at Café Campus on Thursday, Jan. 12.