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Betting on the dark horse

>> Harnessing a potent brew of psychedelic splendour and classic-rock cool, the Besnard Lakes launch a sophomore album that’s likely to make them Montreal’s next to win, place or show

by JOHNSON CUMMINS

Nothing strange about my getting together with Besnard Lakes guitarist/singer Jace Lasek and his wife and musical foil, bassist/singer Olga Goreas, for some pints at a popular Main eatery/watering hole, as Prince absolutely slays during the Superbowl halftime on a hi-def TV. But when I unsheath my cassette recorder, things definitely get a little weird. I’m about to interview people who I consider to be two of my best buddies.

Compounding the heavy weight of awkwardness at the table is the fact that I was once the Besnard Lakes’ benchwarmer/second-string guitarist for a handful of shows, and if you are beginning to smell the bitter odour of a conflict of interest, let me at least offer that I am also the Besnard Lakes’ biggest fan. I’m hardly the only one who’s been charged up about the band lately too, as their unique brand of psychedelic pop-rock has made them one of Montreal’s biggest buzz bands right now, with all the makings for being “the next big thing.”

“I don’t know why people are interested in us all of a sudden,” admits Lasek, as he avoids all eye contact with me and stares unblinking at a salt shaker. “As far as I’m concerned, we are completely unknown.”

The fact is, though, that a lot of people are talking about them inside and outside of our borders. That includes U.K. magazine Mojo, which recently gave the Besnard Lakes’ new album …Are the Dark Horse four stars out of five, as well as Toronto’s Now weekly, which proclaimed it an early contender for record of the year.

Not bad, considering the record only hits shelves this week. Hours after our interview wraps up, Lasek and Goreas fly to France to begin a four-day junket of countless interviews with the French press, which is falling all over itself. Even the respected France rock rag Rock & Folk has awarded …Are the Dark Horse with record-of-the-month status.

Good signs

“With the first record, we sent out a bunch of copies to labels and we really never got a response,” says Lasek. “That was okay, though, because I kind of wanted to just see what it was like to put out a record. It really didn’t end up being that much fun, though. Actually, it was kind of an absolute nightmare. At the same time, we didn’t really have any expectations about the first record, and I was just excited that we actually made a record. Having already done that, though, I would never want to put out my own record again. It’s like having a full-time job. It’s awful and not what being a musician is all about at all.”

Thankfully, that’s where Indiana indie label Jagjaguwar picks up the story. Still reeling from the much-deserved success of signees Black Mountain, the label was looking for its next prize pony, and after a stellar show at la Sala Rossa, Jagjaguwar’s snoopers scooped their chins off of the floor and began plans to sign the band right away.

Super sounds of the ’70s

When listening to the record, it seems that Jagjaguwar has an easy job ahead of them. Lasek tears his gaze from the laces of his Chuck Taylors, letting the pop take the reins while discovering his inner Brian Wilson with his falsetto on the showstopper “Disaster.” The Pink Floyd references are still there in spades, but Goreas shows the growth of the band by channelling Fleetwood Mac’s Christine McVie and David Lynch’s composer Angelo Badalamenti on “Because Tonight,” while the ’70s rock references are worn proudly on the sleeve—consider the one-take shot with 12 guest musicians on “Devastation.”

If comparisons to Fleetwood Mac, Pink Floyd and the Beatles get bandied about when the Besnard Lakes come up, it will come as no surprise to anyone who has ever chugged pints at their late and much-lamented DJ night at Korova. Their eclectic set list would have Slayer buddy up with ELO, while Iron Maiden would duke it out with Kate Bush. Eventually, though they drew a disparate crowd that often included Patrick Watson and members of Stars and Priestess, when Goreas and Lasek manned the wheels of steel, most people would climb the Korova stairs and promptly execute a quick u-turn when they weren’t greeted with the familiar club sounds of Clap Your Hands Say Yeah and similar Pitchfork-y hipster bait.

Goreas finally pipes up and, in a roundabout way, states that their choice for record title was indeed apt. “I guess people have mentioned that they hear a bit of a musical history in us,” she says. “I think that as a musician, you have to dig deep and go past just bands that are happening now. In fact, I think I’m a bit oblivious to most current music.”

“People also think it’s weird,” Lasek adds, “that we play on bills with hard rock bands or experimental bands, but I think it’s important for any band to play to different audiences. I really don’t think of those kinds of bills as that weird, but maybe it’s because I really have no clue what our audience is.”

Hot to trot

If the first record could be considered a glorified duo record for Lasek and Goreas, …Are the Dark Horse opens the field up wide, with the Besnard Lakes finally solidifying a line-up after years of drifting memberships. The rest of the band’s members take huge musical strides within the songs Lasek and Goreas have penned.

“We would sometimes give some direction, but on stuff like the strings and horn arrangements, Nicole [Lizee, keyboards] asked if she could write an arrangement for one song, but I accidentally gave her a CD of two songs, so she wrote arrangements on two songs and it just completely transformed them. This record was really a learning experience because I now know to leave spaces open for the band, to really let them contribute to the songs.”

Even though the music press is already jumping the gun and making these Mile-Enders squint a bit in the limelight, Lasek is probably still best known around town as the co-owner of Breakglass recording studio, and as the engineer who helped midwife records from Land of Talk, Sunset Rubdown, the Hot Springs, Wolf Parade and many more. A huge proponent of local Montreal bands, Lasek insists that most of those that have laid down tracks at his studio have left an indelible influence on him as a musician and songwriter

“It’s always great to see creativity happen right in front of you, and to see people get excited about music. It’s really inspiring. Sometimes I’m influenced by people’s music, but other times, I just get influenced by watching the blood, sweat and tears of good music being made.”

With some of Montreal’s best records coming out of Breakglass, it’s no wonder the studio is now booked up months in advance. After years of struggling to get the studio off the ground, Lasek will be forced to take a break from knob-twiddling for a year’s worth of touring, while Breakglass co-owner and engineer David Smith shoulders the weight.

“It will be a little weird leaving the studio after all this time, but when I get to go out on the road, it’s like a holiday for me. I always wanted to be a touring musician in a band and I’m finally getting that chance, and if I don’t do it now, I know I would regret it for the rest of my life.”

… Are the Dark Horse is in stores on
Tuesday, Feb. 20. CD launch with guests
Starvin’ Hungry at Club Lambi on
Tuesday, March 6, 9 p.m., $12