The Bards of Balance

The Bards of Balance have a different goal than most artists out there and their music proves to be quite interesting. Their album, "Restoring Balance" is a collection of Folk/Pop music written by the band leader Kirk Sinclair to coincide with his book "Systems out of Balance." The music obviously has a lot to say, seeing as it's taken from the 564 page epic from Sinclair. The feeling of the album is some mix of acoustic Dan Fogelberg music mixed with The Schoolhouse Rock sound. The track "Middle Class Harmony" is a good example of this combination. They try to change their style a bit from song to song as you can hear on, “I'm Working," which has steel drums giving it a tropical island feel. "Restoring Balance" features interesting and entertaining lyrics of economical, political, and cultural inclinations and if you are looking to hear something new and original with a Folk/Pop feel then take a listen. - RadioIndy.com

The Bards of Balance, Restoring Balance (thebardsofbalance.com). The quirk factor is high here, landing the Bards of Balance somewhere in They Might Be Giants-meets-Mountain Goats territory, but somehow more detached. It’s like something you might hear if nerdy friends locked themselves in a bedroom overnight and wrote silly, off-the-cuff songs about geeked-out concepts. There’s a song about lobbyists. Another called “Puppet Libertarians.” There are lyrics about debit cards and credit cards. “I got the corporate media blues, local media are getting screwed,” sings frontman Kirk Sinclair. Because of the very specific and generally non-musical topics covered — and the novelty factor — it’s one of those bands you’ve got to be in the right mood for. There are some hooky melodic lines here and there, but I get the sense that the Bards would be happy if they were received with the occasional chuckle, half-smile or toe-tap. - New Haven Advocate