Album Review

Balthazar – Rats

• 18th Jan 2013

Music like that created by Belgian indie-pop troupe Balthazar should be flamboyant, extravagant and unashamedly melodramatic. The combination of rhythmic percussion, singer-songwriter infused indie and unpredictable instrumentation hints at over-the-top production and delivery, yet on ‘Rats’ it is deliberately held back; instead allowing the weary male vocals and combined harmonies to lead the tracks through mesmerizing compositions that revel in simplicity rather than unnecessary layers.

Where the flamboyance does take hold it is suitably subdued – the stringed instruments on ‘The Man Who Owns The Place’ still sitting behind the singer-songwriter and indie formula, posing no threat to the fundamental simplicity. Similarly, the occasional upbeat moment (for example ‘Listen Up’) sit perfectly against the acoustic vibrancy – every guitar pluck and finger slide is audible between the painfully cracked and often slurred vocals.

As the record concludes the tempo shifts to allow the pure enchantment of ‘Any Suggestion’ and ‘Sides’ to break through. Both these tracks entirely strip away the subtle melodrama, resulting in two of the most enveloping off-kilter indie songs in recent memory. They provide a near perfect end to an album filled with melancholic wonder and strained beauty.

‘Rats’ offers a unique take on an otherwise sustainable formula, and one that poses to place a juxtaposition of extravagance and simplicity firmly on the musical map.

Venue: Rats
Support Band: PIAS