The Besnard Lakes – Albatross

It's not uncommon for me to discover a band or album, really like it, and then find out it's nothing new. In fact, any time I post here, you can pretty much guarantee I've done a thorough 1146 search to make sure whichever band I'm featuring on any given week hasn't already been featured and since risen to glory. Bands that excite me are hard to come by these days for whatever reason, so being a contributor to this blog now makes that bleak fact less so. Now you know my true motives, Ian!

Here's a band, however, whose song I'm featuring is actually still kinda new. Maybe not new to you, but new to 1146 (as in, hasn't been featured), and new to me. The Montreal-based Besnard Lakes have some of that lazy, atmospheric sound that's so popular these days, but they build upon that and give us the occasional guitar solo (yes, I said guitar solo) that is so straightforwardly pleasing. I've only given the 2010 album, The Besnard Lakes Are The Roaring Night, one full listen, to be perfectly honest. But I’m likin’ it. Plus, they’re coming out with a new EP next month, so my newfound interest can keep me listening.

“Albatross” is a track featuring vocals from one half of the couple the group was founded upon. And I can thank the couple whose children I used to sit on– er, babysit– for introducing me to The Besnard Lakes. Thanks to them, I have posts lined up for weeks to come.