Boats Of Berlin

Nov

posted by tommy

I’ve written and rewritten this opening sentence and still, I can’t find an interesting or appropriate way to introduce you to the central thesis of this post; Boats Of Berlin have released something excellent. Their debut EP is as easy to get lost in as Jude Law’s eyes.

It wouldn’t take a debater of any real skill to demonstrate that there are similarities between Grizzly Bear and Boats, but then you’re not in the presence of such an orator so you’ll not hear that claim made. There’re certainly moments where the band’s attention to dynamic bid me cast my mind back to the first Fleet Foxes record too but these animal based comparisons do Boats of Berlin an injustice. They’re not derivative and they’re not going to be Unearth’s flavour of the month despite meriting the truest recognition. Nonetheless, across the EP’s five songs I hear nods to so many American bands that I’ve plenty of time for.

Boats Of Berlin – The Towers

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Dissonant chords are the benchtop upon which the vocals do their work. The understated snare and cymbal dare not pull attention away from the frontline but sit reasonable and calm beneath earlier mentioned chords, those same turning into languid runs as the motion builds. I should probably investigate the name of the vocalist because I get the sense that it’s going to become one of those Robin Pecknold/Jim James/Ben Bridwell/Ben Gibbard type situations where the vocalist makes a name for himself on the strength of his pipes before releasing the inevitable solo album. Full disclosure, I don’t know if that’s happened in the case of all those vocalists but they all come with the same singular strength of personality.

Boats Of Berlin – Lavender Farm

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Hard to know if it’s my favourite B.o.B release with bangers like this to contend with but it’s definitely up there. Cleverly priced by someone with an obvious history in sales, the EP is a mere $5.95. Veto your next wheatgrass infused boost juice and achieve true value for money.

bandcamp | facebook | unearthed

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