If Canada's The Besnard Lakes hadn't been announced as the opening band for Peter Bjorn and John's show in Kansas City, I probably wouldn't have gone. I really do enjoy their latest album, Writer's Block (technically it came out in 2006, although it didn't get released stateside until this year). It's full of really catchy, infectious pop tunes that are frequently laced with keyboards and other instruments that really fill out their sound. Unfortunately the Swedish trio is unable to recreate that sound with only the three of them. Although they were extremely energetic once they got moving the songs just sounded boring and kind of limp compared to their albums. In fact, it's one of the few concerts where I've considered leaving early, although we did stay until the end.
The night wasn't a complete wash though because I got a chance to see The Besnard Lakes again. Their latest record, The Besnard Lakes Are The Dark Horse, is one of my favorites of the year. They have a spacey psychedelic thing going on with harmonies that could rival The Beach Boys. Complete with a smoke machine The Besnard Lakes shows are quite epic, even though both times I've seen them they've been opening for someone else. There has been a considerable amount of buzz around this band for quite sometime so I wouldn't be surprised if they become a lot more popular. Check out their Myspace page HERE to hear a few songs.