Until in Excess, Imperceptible UFO
by The Besnard Lakes
Metascore
76

Generally favorable reviews - based on 16 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 12 out of 16
  2. Mixed: 4 out of 16
  3. Negative: 0 out of 16
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  1. Chicago Tribune
    Apr 1, 2013
    88
    It’s slower, dreamier, with songs that prize atmosphere above immediacy.
  2. The Quietus
    Jun 12, 2013
    80
    Until In Excess, Imperceptible UFO has lofty ambitions of space on one hand, and a great deal of heart and soul to keep it simultaneously grounded on the other.
  3. Q Magazine
    May 13, 2013
    80
    This is no Loveless but it is lovely. [Jun 2013, p.93]
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  5. Uncut
    Apr 1, 2013
    80
    The Besnard Lakes' fourth album doesn't really add anything new to the heady concoction of symphonic shoegaze, doo-wop and spy stories they perfected on 2007's Are The Dark Horse, but it's always a pleasure to hear them work up a storm. [May 2013, p.67]
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  6. AllMusic
    Apr 1, 2013
    80
    All in all, UFO is another valuable addition to their canon, completed with skill and affection in equal measure.
  7. musicOMH.com
    Apr 1, 2013
    80
    There’s a distinct absence of envelope-pushing on Until In Excess… – but frankly, when the result is this beautiful, who can really bring themselves to care?
  8. Filter
    Apr 5, 2013
    76
    The Besnard Lakes have nonetheless continued to hone a pre-apocalyptic sound with their latest, Until In Excess, Imperceptible UFO.
  9. Under The Radar
    Apr 1, 2013
    75
    This is lush, deeply psychedelic music. [Mar-Apr 2013, p.90]
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  10. Pitchfork
    Apr 1, 2013
    73
    Until in Excess rewards patience, but the roar of old is missed.
  11. Paste Magazine
    Apr 2, 2013
    72
    Until in Excess unfolds in chapters like a long tale and by the time the closing song “Alamogordo” finishes its nearly three-minute fade out, what’s left is a dreamy calm and sense of completion.
  12. Consequence
    Apr 2, 2013
    70
    For now, UFO is more than enough to hold us over, a reminder of the one-of-a-kind sonic universes the Montreal dreamers live to create and create to live in.
  13. Exclaim
    Apr 1, 2013
    70
    While Until In Excess lacks a genuine revelatory moment, it's their most overall consistent and accessible album thus far.
  14. Drowned In Sound
    Apr 16, 2013
    60
    There are some great moments on this record, but by the end they’re lost under swathes of synths and looking for a sense of purpose.
  15. Mojo
    Apr 10, 2013
    60
    More akin to their second LP. [May 2013, p.96]
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  16. PopMatters
    Apr 2, 2013
    60
    There’s rarely a moment that isn’t beautiful, even if the ambient moments are more self-indulgent than framing, but if the album is telling a story--and it has all the interlocking parts and grandiose structures to hint it is--it’s hard to tell what that story is.
  17. DIY Magazine
    Apr 1, 2013
    60
    It's not a record that will convert anyone who had previously dismissed these two Canadians, but it preaches a sermon that the present congregation will enjoy to their heart's content.

User Reviews

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User Score
8.0

Generally favorable reviews- based on 10 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 9 out of 10
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 10
  3. Negative: 1 out of 10
  1. usherd369
    Feb 26, 2014
    9
    Until In Excess starts off like a dream rather than a nightmare like in their last two albums. It is enlivening to see Besnard Lakes fall intoUntil In Excess starts off like a dream rather than a nightmare like in their last two albums. It is enlivening to see Besnard Lakes fall into atmosphere without losing its previous identity of compositions that wind in different shapes and takes as each song progresses very much like the North American landscape. This album should not be slept on, this is their strongest work to date.… Full Review »
  2. Doxxman5
    Nov 7, 2013
    9
    This is perhaps the definition of a "slow burner". At first it might sound like they have gone back to the sound of The Dark Horse andThis is perhaps the definition of a "slow burner". At first it might sound like they have gone back to the sound of The Dark Horse and abandoned The Roaring, but actually it is a sublime mixture of the two albums. By focusing on their melodies and song lengths, Besnard Lakes have a sort of classic on their hands. At least four of these songs are unbelievably good: "Colour Yr Lights In", "People of the Sticks", "At Midnight", and opener "46 Satires". Maybe more will open up on subsequent listens....it is a perplexing rock and roll album and pushes music on to the future… Full Review »
  3. BENNEB
    Apr 20, 2013
    10
    For me, by far their best album after The Besnard Lake Are The Dark Horses. This is one beautifully crafted album. And the cover for the albumFor me, by far their best album after The Besnard Lake Are The Dark Horses. This is one beautifully crafted album. And the cover for the album is beautiful. A definitely must buy.… Full Review »
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