If ever a record embodied the possibility of a new wave of dream-pop music manifesting somewhere in the music spectrum, it would be on Until In Excess, Imperceptible UFO – The Besnard Lakes' fourth album. In listening, those who experience the record will have to admit that there is exactly nothing tangible about it – no instrumental part moved forward directly to present itself as the focal point of attention and the vocals do not offer any of the lyrical hooks that good pop and rock music usually requires – but those who are exposed to it will be able to easily explain a beautiful, vibrant and spiritually rewarding experience in pretty exacting terms after listening. The sounds contained on this album are exciting, sublime and subliminal – but listeners will be hard-pressed to understand that without actually hearing it.
The above summation of Until In Excess, Imperceptible UFO may read like high praise (it's meant to be), but even those who are already “expecting to be amazed” will be taken clean off their feet as “46 Satires” washes in to open the record. In that beginning, listeners will be immersed – surrounded on every possible side – by lush and spectacular sounds; the guitars laid down by Jace Lasek and Richard White imply an oceanic expanse bordered/contained by Kevin Laing's drums, and everything else which exists in this aural landscape (Olga Goreas' bass and vocals, Spencer King's vibraphone, Michael King's xylophone and the entire Fifth String Liberation Choir) does so as markers would in a body of water – to imply distance, depth, landmarks and important geographical information. It really feels possible to live an entire lifetime and die in the six and a half minutes it takes to make one's way from the beginning of the song to its end and, when it does let out, those who came along for the ride will feel like they've been enlightened and totally enriched by the experience; the sensation (for some) is almost like getting to watch a meteor shower.
The same kinds of sparks of inspiration ad incredible sights to see appear in every song through Until In Excess' run-time, but the effect never comes to listeners the same way twice because the band itself (meaning which member plays what instrument and who sings) is never exactly the same. There's a warmth, delicacy and textural detail in “The Spectre,” for example, but it could also be argued that the song is Besnard Lakes' tribute to both The Beach Boys and Chicago as the drums (played here by Goreas) feel more dramatic while Jace Lasek's incredibly melodic vocals feel more cathartic and emotive than words really convey. A little further on, the hazy, dreamy vibes and tremolo-touched guitars of “At Midnight” reach in a slightly different direction again and listeners will get their first sense of a Pink Floyd-ian dystopia in the running before “Catalina” sends a gentle chill out into the air and make those listening breathe just a little deeper. The engaging nature of the music – that which makes listeners breathe a little deeper or avert their gaze or shift uncomfortably in their seats as they listen because the sound the band has hit on during one song or another hits just a little too close to home – is the single most incredible thing about this album and, after it's all over, listeners will find themselves carefully trying to recall which moment happened when that they might try to recapture it again.
It might not need reiterating, but there's no denying that The Besnard Lakes have assembled an incredibly ambitious experience on Until In Excess, Imperceptible UFO but at no point does the record feel like it is worn a little thin or overstretched. It may pull in several directions song-by-song, but there is a consistency about the music regardless of who is on the mic and who is playing which instrument. It is a unified spirit above all which keeps this record focused, and a powerful, completely unique character which makes Until In Excess, Imperceptible UFO a dazzling listen.
Artist:
www.thebesnardlakes.com/
www.myspace.com/thebesnardlakes
www.facebook.com/thebesnardlakes
www.twitter.com/BesnardLakes
Download:
The Besnard Lakes – Until In Excess, Imperceptible UFO – “People Of The Sticks” – [mp3]
Album:
Until In Excess, Imperceptible UFO is out now. Buy it here on Amazon .
