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SXSW review: The Besnard Lakes
A lot of bands craft their sound after early 90’s alt-rock; Montreal-based band The Besnard Lakes do so as well, but differentiate themselves by throwing in elements of ambient psychedelia and metal. All of these sides were on display during their 8:30 set Thursday at Stubb’s, with lead singer/guitarist/keyboardist Jace Lasek howling above his wife Olga Goreas’ thumping bass.
The two traded vocal duties throughout the set. Lasek’s numbers tended to be slower and more psychedelic, whereas Goreas handled the more melodic numbers, including “Like the Ocean, Like the Innocent.” The songs tend to be slow, building affairs that often explode into distorted guitar and bass breakdowns. The upper-register vocal styles gave the music a sublime feel, and tempo changes where the band shifed between odes to Zepplin and surf rock mixed the set up nicely, especially on the closer, “And You Lied To Me.”
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