Besides

Released in late 1999 on Constellation Records, 'Besides' serves as a crucial evolutionary link for the Toronto collective. While their self-titled debut was more jagged and their follow-up 'Goodbye Enemy Airship the Landlord Is Dead' would define their pastoral jazz-rock sound, this EP leans heavily into the 'ambient' and 'electronic' tags often associated with the era's experimental scene. The recording is characterized by a high degree of environmental noise and field recordings, likely a result of the band's self-recording ethos in non-traditional spaces. Track 1, 'I Love You (La La La)', is a standout for its patient construction, moving from a lo-fi vocal sample into a lush, polyrhythmic groove. The EP is notable for its inclusion of 'Our Man in Havana', which showcases a more rhythmic, almost trip-hop influenced side of the band. Critically, it is viewed as a mood piece that prioritizes atmosphere over the anthemic structures found in their later work.