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Music

Besnard Lakes

BESNARD LAKES with IMAGINARY CITIES, LUCY ROSE, LOWELL and REUBEN & THE DARK as part of Canadian Music Fest at Lee’s Palace (529 Bloor West), Friday (March 22), 12:30 am. $16.50-$20 or wristband. cmw.net. See listings.


Montreal space rockers Besnard Lakes sound even more shoegaze-influenced than usual on their soon-to-be released album, Until In Excess, Imperceptible UFO (Jagjaguwar/Outside). But co-founder Jace Lasek insists this wasn’t an attempt to capitalize on the buzz around My Bloody Valentine’s long-delayed comeback album, MBV.

“None of us even thought the My Bloody Valentine record was ever going to come out, so there definitely wasn’t any plan,” Lasek says, laughing. “We just go into the studio, and whatever comes out the other end is what we’re stuck with.”

It should be easy for them to experiment while recording, given that Lasek runs Breakglass Studios and is an in-demand producer who’s worked with Wolf Parade, Patrick Watson, Suuns, Land of Talk and many others. In reality, though, wearing both hats can complicate things.

“We have to get lucky and find time when the studio isn’t booked, which is unlucky for the studio itself. Unfortunately, we never have the luxury of booking a three-week stretch.”

They managed to find two weeks last year to start work on the album but didn’t come up with many useful song ideas. Lasek and his wife, Olga Goreas, continued to work on it whenever they had a free moment. Thankfully, that piecemeal approach doesn’t show in the results, which are remarkably focused for a band that thrives on pulsating drones and washes of ethereal textures.

Still, Lasek wouldn’t recommend writing in the studio to any act paying for time. Long gone are the days when labels would back that kind of extravagance.

“We’re one of the only bands dumb enough to work that way. It’s really quite stressful. Back in the old days when bands did that, they’d book months on end, so blowing a whole day without coming up with any ideas wasn’t that big a deal.”

Financial pressures aside, Lasek does cite one key reason why he still prefers to write Besnard Lakes songs while recording rather than crafting them ahead of time with a full band.

“I like being able to sit in front of the speakers and hear what’s actually working so I don’t waste time.”

benjaminb@nowtoronto.com | twitter.com/benjaminboles

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