The Besnard Lakes and Young Galaxy w/The Airfields

Right off the bat, the "unbelievable" lineup that I was sooo enthused about just a few days earlier, had suddenly become less unbelievable when, again due to another Visa situation, New Buffalo had to back out of the lineup. (That seems to be happening a lot these days.) This made me quite grumpy since, in many ways, she was the one that I was looking forward to the most. However, life goes on, and your respectably unbalanced blogger soldiered forth anyways to check out the other great bands on the roster, namely Young Galaxy and The Besnard Lakes.

I had read some early reviews about Young Galaxy that were less than stellar, basically suggesting that the band was a little bit dull in a live setting. I'm sorry, but either the band had improved in giant leaps and bounds, or previous reviewers were accidentally attending another show. I say this because the band that I saw on Friday night was lively, energetic, funny and endearing. Many people compare them to Stars, but I think that this must be due to the fact that lead vocalist Stephen Ramsay was part of the live version of Stars for a brief stint. The fact is that while Stars would remain perched on my right shoulder encouraging me to be happy, YG sit more comfortably on my left shoulder, telling me that life ain't so grand. Their music is far more dark and mysterious than their label mates, which makes the album an altogether different listening experience as far as I'm concerned. The same is not true concerning their live show. Stephen was quite witty in his stage banter while other vocalist Catherine McCandless (his significant other) showed grace and poise while laughing at his oft bizarre observations. On top of that her vocals, in particular, were pure heaven.

Photos: Young Galaxy @ The Horseshoe flickr
Download: Swing Your Heartache mp3
Myspace: Young Galaxy
Video: Come And See youtube

Couple number two came in the form of Jace Lasek and Olga Goreas of The Besnard Lakes. If you've heard "Are The Dark Horse" then you would likely acknowledge that, although it takes a little bit of patience, it is an incredibly satisfying release. Like the album, the concert was an all-out musical assault, as the band attacked us with an intense barrage of psychedelic eruptions that made my hair fly back on more than a couple of occasions. (For those who know me personally, lack of hair jokes are inappropriate and not funny right now, ok?) While they were singing, the Beach Boy-like harmonies were uplifting, which made for an interesting dynamic when they would subside to allow the band to play very very loudly! I mean it was really quite loud. But that's OK with me, as the band brought their "A" game and the playing was tight and enthralling, especially to an unabashed prog-head like myself. I have to admit that, for a while, it looked as though the band had peaked early, as the highlight for me seemed to be right near the start of their set. However, the last three songs of the night were so good it was frightening. And seriously, you have not experienced anything until you've experienced "And You Lied To Me" in a live setting. By the way, the third couple of the evening would probably be the dueling smoke machines that took place during both Young Galaxy and Besnard Lakes' sets. I've suffocated through house fires with less smoke than what was coming out of those machines. But hey, that's rock 'n roll.

Photos: The Besnard Lakes @ The Horseshoe flickr
Download: And You Lied To Me mp3
Myspace: The Besnard Lakes
Video: For Agent 13 youtube

I also wanted to briefly mention the openers that night, who were a local band called The Airfields. Yes, I was very disappointed that New Buffalo was no longer on the bill, but I was determined not to let that kill my mood completely. Although the sound quality left much to be desired, overall I thought the band was pretty good. I felt that they gave off a little bit of a Stone Roses vibe, perhaps mixed in with a touch of My Bloody Valentine. The songs were concise slices of shoegaze pop, complete with whirring keyboards and slightly muffled vocals. From the songs I've sampled on their website, I think they were short changed a little bit on Friday night, due to the poor sound quality of their set. However, they put on a solid show in spite of the circumstances, and I'm sure I'll get the chance to see them again soon.

Photos: The Airfields @ The Horseshoe
Download: Lonely Halls mp3
Myspace: The Airfields
Video: Red Fox youtube