Single Review

Balthazar – Sinking Ship

• 6th Mar 2013

There’s more than a hint of Lou Reed, and a distinctly obvious tip of the hat to the drawled-yokelisms of Bob Dylan, to this new release from Balthazar, but we’re not entirely sold yet.

This one’s a little bit marmite – the track itself rolls along nicely and the out of tune, lackadaisical playing and fret buzz, along with ambient room noises captured on the recording, actually combine relatively harmoniously. Fans of old Bob’s more pronounced lyrical flourishes should love the long drawn out phrasing, but here at Glasswerk HQ it all felt a little bit pantomime and cheap pastiche to be taken too seriously.

For all the shiny melodies, there’s a definite juxtaposition of hazy, golden summer days and darker, heroin-fuelled nightmares that bubble threateningly below the surface giving Balthazar a little bit of bite and melancholy – no bad thing, but they need to concentrate more on crafting their own sound to avoid becoming a cheap homage

‘Sinking Ship’ is released on 3rd June 2013 as a digitial download by PIAS.

Venue: Sinking Ship
Support Band: PIAS