Let Me Out

War is not always amenable to great art. Feelings of horror, loss and grief give rise to a sense that art is a frivolous diversion in the face of overwhelming suffering and bloodshed. That's one response. The other is tactical – using art as a tool in the war effort, affirming one's culture in the face of enemy aggression. That seems to be the approach of Mark and Marichka Marczyk, the two Ukrainian Canadians behind Balaklava Blues, who have just released a new album that is by turns disturbing and defiant.

Their previous album, Fly, despite electronic breaks and discords, managed to be unusually melodic and lyrical, even employing some strains of Ukrainian lullabies. Let Me Out, is – for obvious reasons – darker and more dissonant, even doom-laden, bringing to bear martial drums, funeral bells, haunting strings and sounds that suggest strafing gunfire and falling bombs. This is blended with elements of techno, dubstep and trap to form a sonic onslaught of epic proportions. Let Me Out is not always easy to listen to. But it carries a serious message. The most interesting element – the by turns mournful, strident and tender traditional polyphonic singing of Marichka Marczyk – offers hope against ethnocide. A standout track is ‘Gimme’, a bluesy English-language song of lost love in times of war.