| The Besnard Lakes | |
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The Besnard Lakes. Photo by Jace Lasek. (Left to right: Kevin Laing, Richard White, Jace Lasek, Olga Goreas) |
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| Background information | |
| Origin | Montreal, Quebec, Canada |
| Genres | Indie rock, shoegaze, post rock, Post-Progressive |
| Years active | 2003–present |
| Labels | Jagjaguwar Outside Music Static Caravan |
| Website | www.thebesnardlakes.com |
| Members | |
| Jace Lasek Olga Goreas Kevin Laing Richard White |
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The Besnard Lakes are a Canadian indie rock band from Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Formed in 2003 by the husband and wife team of Jace Lasek and Olga Goreas, two of their three albums have been nominated for the Polaris Music Prize.
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The band are currently a four-piece centered around the atmospheric songs of Lasek and Goreas, whose expansive sound draws from numerous aspects of rock 'n' roll history. The band's name comes from Besnard Lake in North-Central Saskatchewan. The band's second album, The Besnard Lakes Are the Dark Horse was recorded at singer Lasek's own Breakglass Studios, with members of Stars, The Dears and Godspeed You! Black Emperor/Silver Mt. Zion making guest appearances.[1] It was nominated for the 2007 Polaris Music Prize. Many songs on The Besnard Lakes Are the Dark Horse are prefaced by recordings from shortwave radio number stations as first made popular in recordings such as The Conet Project.
The film Sympathy for Delicious, from actor/director Mark Ruffalo, will have a score composed by The Besnard Lakes.[2]
A third studio album, The Besnard Lakes Are the Roaring Night, was released on Jagjaguwar on March 9, 2010.[3] A 12" record featuring album track "Albatross" and "Four Long Lines" was released on February 9, 2010.[4] This album was a shortlisted nominee for the 2010 Polaris Music Prize.[5]
The Besnard Lakes wrote and performed the music score for the National Film Board of Canada web documentary Welcome to Pine Point.[6] The collaboration came about when Lasek was approached by the website's co-creator Mike Simons, an old friend from high school. The soundtrack includes their reworking of the Trooper single, "We're Here For a Good Time (Not a Long Time)."[7] On September 20, the group will release their score for Welcome to Pine Point as a twelve-inch EP entitled You Lived in the City. The album will also feature a previously unreleased outtake from their score for the film Memories Corner, entitled "The Corner."[8]