Reviews Reviews Reviews

[Steve]

From earning a whopping seven ARIA Awards (including Album of the Year for 2005’s The Overture & the Underscore and Best Female Artist for her last album, What the Sea Wants, the Sea Will Have), to composing the score for Bell Shakespeare Company’s renowned production of Hamlet in 2008, Sarah Blasko has certainly come leaps and bounds since the days of gigging on dingy pub stages and her debut EP, Prelusive.

Recorded in Stockholm, Sweden, with the help of acclaimed producer, Peter Bjorn & John’s Bjorn Yttling, Blasko’s third full-length album is a significant turning point for the Sydney singer. Her first release without long-time collaborator Robert F. Cranny, As Day Follows Night sees Blasko take the reins for the first time, and the result is a more exploratory album, both sonically and personally.

Yttling’s influence is obvious. Most recently he has stepped behind the producer’s helm for artists like Lykke Li and Camera Obscura, and his penchant for lush, textured production has helped shaped Blasko’s most sonically diverse album to date. With the help of several Swedish jazz musicians, Yttling helped her create a musical landscape that goes well beyond standard instrumentation.

Indeed, the record is mostly stripped bare of guitar-based tunes she favoured in previous work. Subtle hooks, piano flourishes and sweeping string arrangements underlie We Won’t Run, which has a classic soulful ‘60s feel. Blasko’s strong, haunting pop sensibility is still very much present, but it is peppered with a definite jazz flavour, especially in the dramatic and brassy No Turning Back, and album highlight: the sexy, smoky Bird on a Wire.

Blasko’s velvety, fragile vocals have always been the standout in her albums. On As Day Follows Night, her voice is pitch-perfect and rich with a raw, honest quality. Her voice lilts and breaks through a collection of soul-searching and self-exploratory songs. In leading single All I Want, she seems to speak for anyone who has come out of a relationship with a sense of independence, but a feeling of confusion and loss, when she sings, “All I want is to someday know myself.” Her desire to capture the bittersweet quality of blues music comes through in Sleeper Awake, a melancholic but optimistic piano synthesiser-led ode to losing something, but desiring to find it again.

Sarah Blasko continues to go from strength to strength with each release. Perhaps this isn’t her most accessible album, but As Day Follows Night is certainly her most eclectic, adventurous and self assured.

As Day Follows Night is out now on Dew Process through Universal

[Steve]

Sarah Blasko PDF Print E-mail
Tuesday, 14 July 2009

ImageSARAH BLASKO traveled halfway around the world to record her new album, As Day Follows Night, and is set to return to the stage at this year’s Splendour In The Grass festival. YUMI SED finds out what it’s like to work with a virtual stranger and why she has finally fallen in love with reverb.

Sarah Blasko is well and truly Australia’s darling of the singer-songwriter set. Talk to Blasko and you get a real sense of the lady behind the songs. She is at once forthcoming and fragile; speaking in hushed tones with the conversation often punctuated by that charming giggle of hers. This combination of fragility and humour is something that creeps into her highly charged music, her songs emotive while also managing to stay unobtrusive and devoid of narcissism. She writes both hopeful and heartbreaking tunes that ebb and flow like the ocean. Her latest album, As Day Follows Night, is no exception to this, managing to be a far more organic affair than previous albums, with electric guitars and keyboards giving way to piano, double bass and musical saw. The songs have a certain sadness to them, yes, but the overriding theme is one of optimism in the face of adversity.

Blasko’s first two albums, The Overture & The Underscore and What The Sea Wants, The Sea Will Have were co-written with long time writing partner Robert F. Cranny, but on her latest outing, Blasko decided it was time to go out on her own.

“We haven’t been writing together for a while,” she says. “So I thought it was about time, given that I call myself a solo artist, that I wrote the album all myself. I felt it was getting to me that I hadn’t written an entire album on my own.”

For her latest album, Blasko decided to venture to the chilly shores of Sweden and record with notable European producer Bjorn Yttling – who is best known in Australia for his work in Peter Bjorn And John, yet has production credits including Lykke Li, Primal Scream and Camera Obscura. “I had heard a lot of his work and I thought that his sounds would suit my vision for this album,” she says. “So I wrote him a letter and with it sent him a demo of some of my work. Then I just happened to be traveling in Europe and we arranged to meet up to discuss it all. It was kind of weird to work with him at the start as we were basically strangers to each other and it is hard when you don’t really know someone. But we played each other some music that we liked and musically we understood what we were doing and so it just worked. It was an exciting experience really, because we were both coming from different places but we understood where we were both coming from and then in the end, when things started coming together, it was quite exhilarating.”

As Day Follows night has the energy of an old jazz record and that is something Blasko says was intentional. “That’s exactly what I was going for,” she says, genuinely happy that that energy has translated effectively. “I decided early on that I wanted to write the album on piano. It’s amazing what a versatile instrument it is, sometimes it can sound so fragile and other times it can be so aggressive. I had a very broad idea of what I wanted out of the album. I didn’t want any electric guitars or keyboards, I wanted all of the instruments to have air and be organic. I felt it was important to be honest and just write from the heart. I didn’t want to be complicated. I just wanted to write what I felt. I suppose that’s why blues and jazz seemed to appeal to me at the time, because that music is very much about that. It’s quite simply themed; it’s all to a uniform structure, and they’re just good classic songs. With my last record, I don’t think it’s the most complicated music obviously, but I think there was a sense of obscuring meaning a little bit. With this one I wanted to be really free and not try to hide behind anything, I wanted to be generous and relatable.”




“I struggle to call myself a musician. I’m a singer and a writer and I’ve got ideas, but I don’t feel comfortable considering myself a musician.”





The writing of the album was done with a discipline that Blasko says she hadn’t employed before. She decided to make the writing process a Monday to Friday affair, perhaps as a result of writing this album all on her own. “It was a real conscious effort to dedicate time to the writing of the album,” she says. “It was about an hour walk to the studio so every morning I would get up and walk their and on the way I would develop little ideas in my head so by the time I got there I would be ready to start writing.”

Having never liked digital reverb, Blasko did most of her vocal tracks inside a massive cement reverb chamber that gives even more power to her voice. In the past Blasko has utilised a close mic technique that feels like her vocal track is being whispered in your ear. On this album, the power of her voice is in full swing and resembles her live performance more than ever before. “I think in the past there was a lot of close microphone technique, but on this album I really tried to belt it out. I have always been afraid of reverb, but this time I embraced it. We used this massive reverb chamber, which is like this long cement room, so the reverb on the album is natural air not digitally enhanced. The energy of this album is about spontaneity and air. I have never spent such a short time in the studio. The other players came in and captured the essence so quickly.”

For such an accomplished songwriter, Blasko is still afraid to call herself a musician. “I didn’t actually know I wanted to do it until I was 17 or something, but yeah, I started off singing,” she says with a tone of self-depreciation. “I didn’t really play an instrument, I’m still a terrible musician, and I didn’t really start writing my own stuff till I was 19 or 20. I struggle to call myself a musician. I’m a singer and a writer and I’ve got ideas, but I don’t feel comfortable considering myself a musician.”

As with all of Blasko’s albums there is pain etched in the beauty of each song. I ask Blasko what her life was like at the time of recording the album and whether she thinks you can escape the fact that life has a habit of creeping into art. “I was having a tough time when I was making the record,” she says reluctantly. “So I really wanted the album to have an overriding positive feel. I wanted it to transcend my own sadness and be a hopeful album. I think it manages to be that.”

SARAH BLASKO will be at Splendour In The Grass Saturday Jul 25 & Sunday Jul 26 with Bloc Party, Flaming Lips, Holly Throsby, Josh Pyke and many more. AS DAY FOLLOWS NIGHT is out now through Dew Process/Universal. www.sarahblasko.wordpress.com

[Steve]

She Will Have Her Way

Sarah Blasko's stunning voice has been knocking us back in our seats with its abject beauty and fragility for a couple of years; but even she gets a little nervous when thinking about the impending release of her latest album, 'As Day Follows Night'.

“I am pretty excited actually - I am just really proud of it, so happy for it to come out,” says the softly-spoken performer. “It is a bit scary though I guess.”

It’s a mark of how much of herself she puts into her work that each new record she makes is met with self-trepidation; even after the success of her first two albums - 'The Overture And The Underscore' and 'What The Sea Wants, The Sea Will Have' - virtually guaranteeing a gushing response from critics and fans who identify so closely with her naked honesty.

“I just think this record is - it’s hard to explain, but I think it more adequately represents what I like, just because it doesn't have all the electric guitars and keyboards, and I think because it is a lot simpler record in a lot of ways to me. I feel like I have stripped away a few things and made it about the songs which makes me feel like it’s very fresh and new and exciting for me.”

At the core of this stripped-back process is Swedish producer Björn Yttling (of Peter, Björn and John fame); who Blasko travelled to Stockholm to work with based on a friend’s recommendation that she needed to broaden her horizons, and what she calls a “gut feeling”. Björn’s main thumb print on this album was the back to basics approach he took with the recording process.

“I think I feel this time that Björn was encouraging me to keep it simple and to have a bit of confidence in the songs and in my voice; for those things to be the centre of it. I don't think I have ever worked with someone before who put so much emphasis on the voice and on the songs in that way, which when you think about it, it is obvious that that's where the centre of things lie - because that's where a song starts. He encouraged me to feel like that was enough … I just let go a bit more this time.”

Which can only mean we are set for one bell-ringer of an emotive outing from Blasko on ‘As Day Follows Night’, which is out through Brisbane's own Dew Process. A limited edition version of the album also contains a second disc of covers.

“When you do work on someone else's song you do think about, ‘okay what does it mean to write a song and why is this song so effective or not effective’ … and I think that's kind of good but sometimes I think I have done too many covers because sometimes you know me more for my covers - so sometimes I think 'no I shouldn't do another cover’. Now I have done a cover of ‘Xanadu’, I am open for all kinds of questions.”

She shouldn't be too concerned though - generally her interpretations, phrasing and understated brilliance on previous covers like Cold Chisel's 'Flame Trees'; Crowded House's 'Don't Dream It's Over' and The Go-Betweens’ 'Bye Bye Pride' have been simply breathtaking. As is her work on a lesser known Go-Betweens’ track, 'Hold Your Horses'.

“To me that time when they wrote that song felt like that band was at their most elemental and there's that really strong kind of fresh sound that you hear on those recordings; so I thought it would be nice to do something from early on in their careers.

“Just lyrically and melodically (it) was just very simple and very strong and I just wanted to do a very different version of something.”

You can't help but think that as long as Sarah keeps following her instincts, we are in for some golden years ahead.

'As Day Follows Night' is out now on Dew Process. Sarah Blasko will perform at Splendour in the Grass, which happens at Belongil Fields in Byron Bay July 25-26 and at the Tivoli October 10.

[Steve]

REVIEW: Sarah Blasko - As Day Follows Night

by Tim Cashmere - July 15 2009
photo by Ros O'Gorman

Before I start waffling on about how magnificent this album is, let me just get this out of the way. This is a serious contender for my album of the year call. Dare I call it five months early? No, I dare not, but it is just so so good from the first to the very last note.

Recorded in Stockholm, Sweden with Bjorn Yttling of Peter, Bjorn and John fame, Blasko’s third record sees her perfect the sound she has been playing around with (very successfully, I might add) on her first two records.

The record is coming from a very sad place most of the time, but it doesn’t feel like a sad record. Blasko is (or was) obviously reeling in a broken heart, which she has churned out and spit out in a refreshing spin on it.

Lines like “When I’ll be there, I’ll be there/I know I sound confused” in ‘All I Want’ and the bitter refrain of ‘Is My Baby Yours’ are just two examples of the different emotions Blasko manages to convey throughout the record.

A personal favourite is the rejuvenating pop of ‘Over and Over’, which is filled with a quirky brilliance that is wound up with a couple of lines from Talking Heads’ ‘Road To Nowhere’, which seems to fit in as naturally as if David Byrne had written it just for Blasko.

Her sense of melody is none more apparent than in ‘I Never Knew’, a haunting tune that is lush with strings.

The album is meticulously planned, but still feels natural and free and most of all every little note has a space. Sarah Blasko and producer Bjorn Yttling make a great team and together they have made an original and wonderfully revealing record.

Track listing:

Down On Love
All I Want
Bird On A Wire
Hold On My Heart
We Won’t Run
Is My Baby Yours?
Sleeper Awake
No Turning Back
Lost and Defeated
Over and Over
I Never Knew
Night and Day

[Steve]

Date: 15 Jul 2009
Issue: Beat #1175
SARAH BLASKO
by KELLY GRIFFIN

Sarah Blasko went into the recording studio with a collection of “kind of sad” songs, but then thought she didn’t want you, the dear listener, to think she was feeling sorry for herself. So while the lyrics on her new album, As Day Follows Night, largely centre on heartache, loneliness and self-doubt, the tone of the final product is, well, surprisingly upbeat – even hopeful. “Music is a bit like therapy,” Blasko offers. “You sort of write these things to encourage yourself, and,” she adds, adamantly, “and I wanted it to be encouraging to me, because I needed it then.”

In the interim between Blasko’s 2006 sophomore album What The Sea Wants, The Sea Will Have, and her lush, cinematic new release, As Day Follows Night, Blasko sighs, “I’ve had a particularly full on couple of years. I’ve had a lot of travelling time and, like, a lot of work stuff. I guess these things, you know, you’re always learning a lot and a lot happens in your life, and,” she laughs, guardedly, “yeah…”

Blasko also reportedly split from her long-term co-songwriter and producer, Robert Cranny, and, as the songs on the new album (Down on Love, Is My Baby Yours?, I Never Knew…) certainly suggest, she’s perhaps been through a relationship break-up too.

Blasko penned the majority of her new songs last year while working on the Bell Shakespeare Company’s production of Hamlet, in which Blasko performed and composed the score, and well, quite frankly, stole the show – yes even with Brendan Cowell in the lead role.

“It was so inspiring to hear a play like that every night for like four months,” recalls Blasko. “I’d be writing in the rehearsal room out the back and you could hear the play going through the PA.”

Hearing Hamlet performed night after night, Blasko says, “It does get you into a particular mood. I mean Hamlet’s mood in the play is just so; he’s just so in his own head, so absorbed by his situation and the difficulties and pondering, you know, if he’s mad and trying to work out what life is all about.

“I do think it did sort of filter its way into what I was writing about, I mean,” she chuckles, “it’s not that [my new songs are] specifically about that, but it’s amazing how that gets you into a very introspective kind of mood. It was a great sort of backdrop for writing, for sure.”

Sitting down to compose new material alone, for the first time in years, Blasko recounts, “I could tell that the songs were really different to what I’d done previously and it kind of freaked me out. I was just like ‘oh, okay, so how does this fit with what I’ve done before?’” But after showcasing her new wares before a select group of friends, Blasko reconciled herself to the fact that, “well, I’ve got to do it, got to go where I need to go and this just seems right at the moment.

“To me,” she continues, “the difference was that it felt like the songs had a very simple, but direct feel to them and I didn’t want to complicate anything; I wanted it to be really fresh and have that simplicity.

“I wanted to write things that were like old jazz or blues songs,” she adds, “but, you know, my kind of version of that, and I guess those sorts of music are related to hardship, so it just seemed kind of relevant for them to be within that context.”

In the past, Blasko composed the majority of her songs around the guitar, but this time she wrote around the piano, citing in her press release that, “even though I didn’t really play piano, it's my favourite instrument and I found its sound inspiring: the loneliness of it. It suited Hamlet and it suited my state of mind at the time.”

In person, Blasko brashly remarks, “I’m just so sick of electric guitars! I just thought, ‘f**k it, I don’t want one to even touch this album. I was just so sick of that fiddling around with effects. I just wanted it super simple and beautiful and pure and rich and to me, it was just like ‘argh I don’t want to plug anything in’…” Instead, Blasko opted for plenty of air instruments: piano, baritone, saxophone, strings and double bass, but admits that yes, “a bit of nylon strings” eventually found its way into the mix.

Originally the plan was to record the album in hometown Sydney, but Blasko later felt she needed to “get away” and get some perspective on what she wanted to do with the album. “And I thought, if I’m going to go overseas I should contact a few people before I go, see if anyone’s interested in meeting up,” she explains.

Bjorn Yttling of indie rock group Peter, Bjorn and John answered her call, so keen was he that he later agreed to produce As Day Follows Night. “He was just super keen, right from the start,” she enthuses. “[He was like] ‘I can do this record and we can do it here (in Stockholm).” And Blasko, knowing Yttling had produced albums by some of her favourite artists including Lykke Li and Camera Obscura, was definitely keen to have him on board.

“When I’ve listened to Peter, Bjorn and John’s music, and Lykke Li and Camera Obscura, I could hear this common thread – I could hear these simple string arrangements and at the centre of them were these voices. I could hear that [Yttling] had a sort of old fashioned sensibility with the instrumentation and with the use of the strings, but I think that what I was hearing was a very fresh sound…

“I felt like that would suit me because I really wanted to make a record that sort of sounded like it was harping back to an era you couldn’t place what or where that was, but to have a modern feel, with an old-fashion vibe,” she laughs, “does that make sense?”

While the two bonded over a shared vision for Blasko’s music, Blasko says their contrasting personalities often clashed. “It wasn’t so much that we actually disagreed on things, we actually really agreed on the music, but sometimes his manner really, to me, well, I think it’s a cultural thing…

“I think he is just a man of really few words and sometimes he can be really abrupt, like you’d say an idea and he’d be like: ‘No’.

“And I’d be like ‘what do you mean ‘no’? That’s really rude’ and we’d just misinterpret each other. He wasn’t being rude, it was just a different way [of expression] and I think he found that I liked to talk about things a lot because he said to me at one point,” she giggles, “his mouth was so dry because he’s never spoken so much! He was sort of dramatic. It was an interesting dynamic and we just, like, really shat each other.”

Yet in the end, assures Blasko, their differences were irrelevant. “We were so happy with the music, we were just so excited; it didn’t matter. And I think if I had have known what I know now, I would have been a lot more relaxed and just gone with it, but I guess it just takes a while for you to develop that trust in someone else when you don’t know them.”

In truth, As Day Follows Night, is Blasko’s best work to date. The introspective, world-weary lyrics are balanced beautifully with lush string arrangements and sunny piano-driven melodies. It’s a testament to Blasko, really, that the album that was perhaps her hardest to make – in terms of flying solo creatively – is also her boldest and strongest.

Sarah Blasko’s new album As Day Follows Night is out now on Dew Process. Blasko brings this lovely new record to life at the Theatre Royal in Castlemaine on Thursday October 1 (tickets on 03 54721196), and then in Melbourne at The Forum on Friday October 2 – tickets through ticketek.com.au.

[Steve]

The Australian – 5 Star Review

THERE’S a wonderful sense of drama on the closing segment of All I Want, the second song on Sarah Blasko’s third and best album. “All I want,” she sings breathily as the music subsides, “is to one day come to know.. . my … self.” As she tails off, the Ennio Morricone-like vibrant strings and low percussive rumble return. One can picture Clint Eastwood riding off into the sunset to contemplate his oneness, tumbleweeds in his wake. Blasko has come to know at least one thing about herself since her last effort, 2006’s What the Sea Wants, the Sea Will Have. It’s that her voice, given much more room here than before, is a powerfully seductive instrument. It soars all over As Day Follows Night, a commanding presence set atop a loose assortment of keyboards, drums, double bass and the occasional banjo. There are strings and brass, too, but precious little of her first instrument, guitar. This new environment has freed up her voice. More than that, the largely piano-based songs are the most original and confidently performed of Blasko’s career. Some credit is due to producer Bjorn Yttling, who creates the shimmering dramatic underlay over which Blasko’s vocals fly. There’s a familiar sadness in her tales of failed and unrealised relationships, no more than on the closing Night and Day, a beautifully bleak few moments of folk-pop. Mostly, however, the music is a celebratory counter to Blasko’s melancholy. All 12 songs are exquisite. An album of the year contender.

lain Shedden

[Steve]

http://www.xpressmag.com.au/1169.swf

http://www.xpressmag.com.au/1169.swf

[Steve]

I like this one
From The Sunday Herald Sun. Sunday 19th July 2009
Nice Picture with review \\

With her latest effort, Sarah Blasko took a chance to deviate from her usual musical styling and inject freshness into her album that many didn’t see coming.

To put it simply. It worked.

It was a bold move for the young artist, but it is a move that is sure to impress all sorts.

It is the kind of album that should see Blasko showered with critical acclaim and awards, and praised by the general pubic.

It is the kind of album that, even with five months left of 2009, should be a serious contender for album of the year.

And it is the king of album that makes the listener ask: “Where did this come from?”

As Day Follows Night could not be more distinct from Blasko’s 2004 debut The Overture and The Under Score and 2006’s What The Sea Want The Sea Will Have.

While the first launched a promising career, the second cemented Blasko as a stayer in the Australian music scene.

Perhaps this resounding endorsement gave her the confidence to branch out with this third effort and try something so different, yet so Blasko.

It is clear she is well outside her comfort zone.

Gone are the heavy beats, synth grooves and plethora of electronic tid-bits that have come to symbolise her work.

But without these, spacious arrangements challenge Blasko’s vocal - and she meets the challenge with superb success.

Perhaps her most convincing vocal recording, her haunting voice shines a rich tapestry of lush strings and piano - based ballads. It is Blasko as never heard before, recreating the vibe of a laid - back jazz club with plenty of brushed snares and meandering double bass.

The stripped - back offering results in a raw yet direct and honest performance, an organic sound fuelled by a lack of synthesised sounds

“This album feels more like it honestly expresses my tastes and my feelings … you feel that you’re transported to another era, but I think it’s difficult to pinpoint when or where that is” she says.

It is clear heartbreak has inspired most of the album, infusing the most honest lyrics Blasko has penned. Despite the melancholy subject matter, the album never becomes difficult to digest.

From the haunting sounds of All I Want to the stomping tomes No Turning Back, the fragile flamenco stylings of Is My Baby Your/ to the soulful We Won’t Run, Blasko brings beauty, heartbreak and hope alive.

4 Half Stars SHANNON DEERY

FILE BETWEEN Carina Round, Sarah McLachian

[Seventy]

Yeah, that's a great review. They sound like they are a huge fan of Sarah's.

I also agree it's of similar styling to Carina Round. Nice to see her get a mention

[Steve]

Interview: Sarah Blasko



20 Jul 09 @ 07:00am by Elise Pitt


How did you come up with the name of your new album - As Day Follows Night?
The expression is usually “As sure as the day follows night”. The idea that through a difficulty there’s going to be a release from that, but also it’s like this certainty and I think that reflects the album. It’s got quite a drive to it. I was quite clear about my intentions with it.

Was it a culture shock going to Sweden to record your album?
Yeah, sort of. It was a bit more of a culture shock than I first of all thought it would be. The reality of working with people from different backgrounds, I mean they all speak English but, it was quite scary. At the same time it was also really refreshing and exciting to work with different people and try something new.

Was it strange to have so much snow around?
Yes, but I loved it. It made it a really magical time. I loved the snow.

Do you come up with the ideas for your video clips?
I usually collaborate. For All I Want we collaborated on the idea. We wanted it to have the elements of an old western film. The costume was inspired by Frida Kahlo, this sort of “lone woman traveller” kind of idea. It was shot near Daylesford in Victoria. It’s nice when you do a video clip. It feels like you’re going on a little holiday and you get to do things you don’t normally get to do, like lead a horse around a paddock.

You have a pizza named in your honour in Adelaide. What are the weirdest things that have happened to you since you have become well known?
Yesterday, I found out that someone named an orchard after me. That’s pretty strange! It’s also quite strange when someone wants to have a photo of you. One time, I had these girls come after me in the supermarket and I was basically in my pyjamas. It was so embarrassing [laughs]. You just kind of think “Why! Why do you want a photo of me in the produce section of the supermarket?”

What’s you biggest fear?
I guess my fear is of being complacent. I feel that when people get comfortable that’s when their music really starts to suck [laughs]. I think I always like to feel I’m not in the industry. I know that sounds silly, but I feel if I was completely comfortable with everything, then it’s probably when I should look to do something else. It’s important to see things from different angles and try different things and not just repeat yourself. It’s important to just throw it out the window a bit.

You composed the score for Bell Shakespeare’s 2008 production of Hamlet. Do you think composing is something you would like to do more of in the future?
Yeah, I’d love to. It was a really refreshing and enjoyable thing for me to do last year, so I’d love to do that again for theatre or for film.

Are you living in Sydney at the moment? Where do you like to escape to?
Yeah, I’m living in Sydney, [laughs] but I’m not going to tell you that am I… I like to get out of the city and go up to the [Blue] Mountains because my sister lives there. Otherwise, I really like going down to the Harbour and Botanic Gardens and pretending I’m a tourist.

As Day Follows Night is out now. Those lucky enough to snag Splendour in the Grass tickets can see Blasko at the GW Mclennan tent at 9.45pm on Saturday.

[Steve]

Sarah Blasko
She's sweet, charming, warm and incredibly talented. We think we have a girl crush on Sydney songstress
Sarah Blasko.

How did you come up with the name of your new album - As Day Follows Night?
The expression is usually "As sure as the day follows night". The idea that through a difficulty there's going to be a release from that, but also it's like this certainty and I think that reflects the album. It's got quite a drive to it. I was quite clear about my intentions with it.

Was it a culture shock going to Sweden to record your album?
Yeah, sort of. It was a bit more of a culture shock than I first of all thought it would be. The reality of working with people from different backgrounds, I mean they all speak English but, it was quite scary. At the same time it was also really refreshing and exciting to work with different people and try something new.

Was it strange to have so much snow around?
Yes, but I loved it. It made it a really magical time. I loved the snow.

Do you come up with the ideas for your video clips?
I usually collaborate. For All I Want we collaborated on the idea. We wanted it to have the elements of an old western film. The costume was inspired by Frida Kahlo, this sort of "lone woman traveller" kind of idea. It was shot near Daylesford in Victoria. It's nice when you do a video clip. It feels like you're going on a little holiday and you get to do things you don't normally get to do, like lead a horse around a paddock.

You have a pizza named in your honour in Adelaide. What are the weirdest things that have happened to you since you have become well known?
Yesterday, I found out that someone named an orchard after me. That's pretty strange! It's also quite strange when someone wants to have a photo of you. One time, I had these girls come after me in the supermarket and I was basically in my pyjamas. It was so embarrassing [laughs]. You just kind of think "Why! Why do you want a photo of me in the produce section of the supermarket?"

read on below advertisement




What's you biggest fear?
I guess my fear is of being complacent. I feel that when people get comfortable that's when their music really starts to suck [laughs]. I think I always like to feel I'm not in the industry. I know that sounds silly, but I feel if I was completely comfortable with everything, then it's probably when I should look to do something else. It's important to see things from different angles and try different things and not just repeat yourself. It's important to just throw it out the window a bit.

You composed the score for Bell Shakespeare's 2008 production of Hamlet. Do you think composing is something you would like to do more of in the future?
Yeah, I'd love to. It was a really refreshing and enjoyable thing for me to do last year, so I'd love to do that again for theatre or for film.

Are you living in Sydney at the moment? Where do you like to escape to?
Yeah, I'm living in Sydney, [laughs] but I'm not going to tell you that am I... I like to get out of the city and go up to the [Blue] Mountains because my sister lives there. Otherwise, I really like going down to the Harbour and Botanic Gardens and pretending I'm a tourist.

As Day Follows Night is out now. Those lucky enough to snag Splendour in the Grass tickets can see Blasko at the GW Mclennan tent at 9.45pm on Saturday.


Story: Elise Pitt

[Steve]

From the online London Mag Wears The Trousers
This Mag will be Interviewing Sarah this week
http://wearsthetrousers.com/2009/07/20/australia-week/



Sarah Blasko
As Day Follows Night ••••
Dew Process

Praised by critics worldwide and showered with accolades, including a mildly controversial ARIA award for ‘Best Pop Release’ (controversial only because some industry folk felt that the category was demeaning), Sarah Blasko is quickly becoming a national treasure in her native Australia. Following on from her debut The Overture & The Underscore and 2006’s simply breathtaking What The Sea Wants, The Sea Will Have, Blasko has crafted an elegant third record – her first to be entirely self-penned – that could well see her join the ranks of Paul Kelly, Daniel Johns and Sia Furler as one of Australia’s greatest songwriters. Opener ‘Down On Love’ is at once familiar, yet unlike anything Blasko has put to record before; with its swirling piano and vocal melodies, it sounds like something out of a musical (special editions of the album come with a bonus covers EP of songs from films like ‘Annie Hall’ and ’Xanadu’) and deftly introduces the primary theme of the album: the painful process of moving on from a meaningful relationship.

The stunning single ‘All I Want’ has been a radio favourite in Australia since its release in May, hardly surprising as, once again, the song exudes a familiar warmth. It is here that the presence of producer Bjorn Yttling is first felt as the Swedish maestro gives the track a filmic sense of grandeur. Ultimately though, it’s Blasko’s deceptively simple lyrics that make this one of the best in her increasingly impressive catalogue. You can hear the genuine heartache in the chorus when she swoons, “All I want / is to one day come to know myself”. It’s a sentiment that anyone can relate to, brokenhearted or not. The arrangements throughout the album are relatively simple but expertly layered; the strength of the songs is such that to clutter them with sonic tweaks would undermine them. When extras are used, it is sparingly and to great effect. ‘Hold On My Heart’ is the album’s first real pop moment, jumping along nicely with the help of some jaunty keys and curious percussive sound effects, and it’s a testament to Blasko’s skills as a songwriter that it works just as well as the album’s more sombre inclusions.

The percussive exploration continues on the subtly emphatic ‘We Won’t Run’, which also benefits from a lovely string arrangement that never irks or becomes overbearing, and on ‘No Turning Back’, whose percussive build makes it an unusual choice for the album’s second single, but again showcases Blasko’s versatility and the effectiveness of her partnership with Yttling. ’Is My Baby Yours?’ is the track that most closely resembles Blasko’s earlier work, and perhaps for that reason feels a little misplaced here. Still, when she demands the titular question repetitively in the chorus, Blasko is at the height of her expressive vocal powers; the guitar work from Thomas Tjarnkvist and, surprisingly, Blasko herself is also impressive. The broody, epic ‘Sleeper Awake’ is more convincing with lines such as “Use your hands / you know you love to get them dirty” and a delicious sense of tension.

The album’s final third finds Blasko toning things down a little, but she never once loses sight of her aims. The atmospheric ‘Lost & Defeated’ is followed by the playful, joyous ‘Over & Over’, which neatly references Talking Heads’ 1985 hit ‘Road To Nowhere’. The lush arrangements of ‘I Never Knew’ make it an instantly memorable ballad, but it’s on the album’s stripped-down closer ‘Night & Day’ that Blasko is at her most wrenching, singing of “bitter nights and broken days” over a haunting array of violins and violas. It’s been a promising year for Australian female artists thus far, but perhaps no album has the potential to capture the world’s attention quite like As Day Follows Night. Blasko has taken a chance in working with Yttling, a man she barely knew and who had no prior knowledge of her work, but fortunately for her (and us) the pairing is a match made in heaven. The heartbreaking lyrics and emotive voice are still there, but what’s more exciting is that her music is still evolving and maturing. For Blasko, the growth possibilities are seemingly endless.

Dane Hodges
Available on import only; www.myspace.com/sarahblasko

[Seventy]

Are you living in Sydney at the moment? Where do you like to escape to?
Yeah, I'm living in Sydney, [laughs] but I'm not going to tell you that am I... I like to get out of the city and go up to the [Blue] Mountains because my sister lives there. Otherwise, I really like going down to the Harbour and Botanic Gardens and pretending I'm a tourist.

That's pretty cute. I'd feel so bad if I bumped in to Sarah in the street while she was out enjoying herself. I wouldn't want to disturb her, so i'd leave her alone. It must be awful having people come up to you all the time when you're just trying to have a nice walk or something.

[Steve]

If it wasn’t for Michael Jackson’s untimely demise, Sarah Blasko might well have found herself at the top of the charts with this, her third album.

Recorded in Sweden with Bjorn Yttling of Peter, Bjorn and John fame, Blasko has created a unique work that boasts, sonically at least, an ethereal dreamlike quality.

Revealing its magic over repeat listens, the album opens strongly with ‘All I Want’. ‘Bird On A Wire’ borrows a title from Leonard Cohen, while the backdrop sounds Bad Seeds-like.

Strangely, ‘Down On Love’ owes a subtle debt to Cohen’s ‘Hallelujah’, while ‘Hold On My Heart’ occupies a space usually reserved for kooky pop.

Blasko’s own vocals are characteristically eccentric, and the instrumentation matches.

Tambourines, percussion, piano and strings are engaging when pitched against Blasko’s clever way with a lyric.

It’s a rich tapestry that improves with each listen. Beautifully crafted, it’s hard to pick favourites, but ‘Over & Over’, which segues briefly into Talking Heads ‘Road To Nowhere’ is a strong contender, as is the haunting ‘Is My Baby Yours’.

Throw in the carney groove of ‘Sleeper Awake’ and you’ve got a work that surprises with every twist and turn.

As Day Follows Night (Dew Process/UMA)

[Steve]

SARAH Blasko's latest work is her most engaging yet, writes Jesse Kuch

Take the voice of an angel, add a pinch of honest songwriting, a dash of industry respect and blend it together with raw talent and the finished product will, no doubt, resemble something a bit like Sarah Blasko.

Her soaring voice, poignant lyrics and dynamic stage show have made her a standout among her peers, captivating the Australian music market since she burst on to the scene with her stunning debut album, The Overture & The Underscore, on independent record label Dew Process in 2004.

Five years and two albums later, Sarah is back armed with her latest work, As Day Follows Night, and is ready to take the Australian scene by storm in what critics are calling one of the best albums of 2009.

Sarah is also making a welcome return to the Far North this week, taking part in the amazing event Laid On Earth at Cooktown for the Queensland Music Festival.

timeOUT caught up with Sarah to find out what’s new since her last visit to Far North Queensland in 2007 and about the smashing success of As Day Follows Night.

Finding her beginnings in the music scene as part of several bands, Sarah says the decision to go with a solo career was born out of necessity.

"I was always really motivated to do something in the music industry since I started writing songs at about 17 or 18," she says. "I was in a few bands in my early days but it kind of felt easier doing it on my own."

Necessity seemed to be a prominent theme in her early career. She says her choice to go an independent route with her recordings was a similar decision to going solo.

"In the beginning, I had sent a lot of music out to people and I kept getting the same responses," she says.

"They said, ‘I like it, but it’s not quite what we are looking for’. It just kind of got to me after a while, until someone said to me ‘put out your own thing, don’t wait for anyone else’. So I did, and I’m glad I did it that way. It allowed me to go my own way with things."

The rest, as the saying goes, is history.

Multiple ARIA nominations followed (including a win in 2007 for her second album, What The Sea Wants, The Sea Shall Have), as did international tours through the US, Canada, Ireland and the UK. Admittedly, expectations on her follow-up to her last ARIA-winning album were high but Sarah says she is rapt with the end result of her months in the studio.

"I’m really excited about it," she says.

"As a record, I’m very proud of it. I think it’s the best work that I’ve done in my career so far. It’s quite a confident record and very different from the others. I’m excited to do something that broke the mould a little bit."

Around the same time she was writing and recording As Day Follows Night, Sarah was also working on another major project, the music for Bell Shakespeare Company’s 2008 rendition of Hamlet.

"I don’t know if it influenced the sound of the album but it definitely had some sort of effect over the process," she says.

"When I was doing the music for Hamlet, I kept it very simple and tried to work on something that really enhanced the play. You’ve gotta try to respond to the concept more than working on music for a CD. The songs are more convenient in Hamlet and that kind of approach influenced As Day Follows Night. It was wonderful to work on simultaneous projects, it definitely kept the momentum up."

Q Music’s spectacular show Laid On Earth promises to be an unforgettable event where Sarah performs a pivotal musical role.

In the setting of the "Musical Ship" in Cooktown’s Endeavour Park, Sarah will be joined on stage by a mass choir drawn from the communities of Hope Vale, Rossville and Cooktown complete with a percussion and chamber music ensemble created especially for this world premiere event.

"The credit goes out to Damian Barbeler, who is a composer who has written and put together the whole show," she says.

"I met him a few years ago when he composed a different version of one of my old songs. His basic concept is to take old arias and translate them into English and, at the same time, rearrange them in a contemporary classical way.
Laid on Earth

Jesse Kuch

Thursday, July 23, 2009

© The Cairns Post
"It’s fairly avant-garde and something very different from what I’ve done before.

"My part of the show goes for about an hour and includes both vocal and instrumental pieces. One of my own songs is in the piece reworked, and I’ll be singing another piece that he wrote as well. It’s quite a challenging piece to perform but it’s been really fun as well."

Sarah says her only regret in coming North is that she can’t do a show in Cairns.

"I sort of feel bad coming all this way and not doing a show in the city but I’m sure I’ll come back to Cairns soon," she says.

"I was actually up there in August last year for a holiday for about a week. I spent a month in Melbourne doing Hamlet when it was freezing and, I thought, ‘right, I’m going north for a while’ after that. I am really excited to be coming up to Cooktown, though, it’s great to have the opportunity to see the different parts of Australia I haven’t seen before."

>> Sarah Blasko performs in the Q Music Festival’s Laid On Earth at Cooktown’s Endeavour Park on Saturday, August 1, from 3pm. Entry is free.