Overture And The Underscore, The - Sarah Blasko

...Review: Sarah Blasko - "The Overture & The Underscore" (2005)

== But she's Australian - not another Canadian artist? ==

Let's get something straight right now - I don't just listen to Canadian music, despite the leanings of my recent reviews. For this one, I selected someone from a country about as far away as you can physically get from Canuckistan - namely Australia. One of my finds last year was Sarah Blasko, ...
...CD back in 2005, "The Overture & The Underscore". This received four nominations including Album of the Year from the Australian record industry awards but the four singles generated from the project got limited airplay in her home country and as far as I am aware, very little in the UK. I can't remember hearing any of the four singles on UK radio, but her name did pop up as an Amazon recommendation - so again I took another chance, one ... more

CD Review: Sarah Blasko - "The Overture & The Underscore" (2005)

But she's Australian - not another Canadian artist?

Let's get something straight right now - I don't just listen to Canadian music, despite the leanings of my recent reviews. For this one, I selected someone from a country about as far away as you can physically get from Canuckistan - namely Australia. One of my finds last year was Sarah Blasko, who released a rather interesting if not totally fulfilling debut CD back in 2005, "The Overture & The Underscore". This received four nominations including Album of the Year from the Australian record industry awards but the four singles generated from the project got limited airplay in her home country and as far as I am aware, very little in the UK. I can't remember hearing any of the four singles on UK radio, but her name did pop up as an Amazon recommendation - so again I took another chance, one that paid off again. I do have some reservations, however - so this isn't another "oh, wow, listen to this artist, she's brilliant" review - I don't want to fall into a pattern, you know!

All you need to know about Sarah Blasko's history in two paragraphs

Born in Sydney back in 1976, she fronted a band called Acquiesce during the mid-1990s which released an EP and managed to tour France (Blasko's parents had been missionaries on Reunion, a French dependency in the middle of the Indian Ocean). By 2002 she had decided to go solo and recorded some demos which eventually became the foundation for her debut, an seven-track EP called "Prelusive" - due to her disillusionment and frustration with the various record label personnel she met, this was released independently. Signed to Brisbane's Dew Process label, the latter re-packaged the EP and put it out again.

Upping sticks and moving to Hollywood with an armful of demos co-written and co-produced with her writing partner Robert Cranny, this material eventually formed the basis of her full-length debut album, "The Overture & The Underscore" which was released in America in June 2005 and in Europe three months later. Despite plenty of critical acclaim in the US and Australia, the album was not a commercial success and the singles received little airplay. Two years of touring the world followed, although she found time to record her second album, "What The Sea Wants, The Sea Will Have", in New Zealand during April 2006. No less than three singles came from this project. At the time of writing (February 2009), she is currently recording her third full-length album in Sweden.

The Overture & The Underscore

"I was pretty clear about what I wanted to achieve with the record. I really wanted there to be something pretty classic about it. I was honestly surprised by what a "complete" record it sounded to me when I stepped away from it. I hope that others feel the same way about it too."

Sarah Blasko wanted her debut album "The Overture & The Underscore" to be a "classic" - not a victim of someone trying to do too much, too soon. Hmm. For someone who seems to have wanted less of the production, more of the music, there's a lot of fiddling going on behind the scenes with the sound, but the end product still seems largely free of interference. This concealed production is probably a good thing, though, since it rescues the album from simply being a curiosity piece. Listen to it closely and you might recognise some of the ingredients: take one part Gemma Hayes' trademark fragility versus chaos, a dash of Fiona Apple's ferocity and the nerdy zest of Nerina Pallot, mix well and serve with slightly quirky arrangements that could fit on The Bird and the Bee's albums - well, a recipe too far, maybe, but it's close enough. Throughout the album, her voice can sound nervous and edgy, then strong and forceful, and for a finale, even tinged with a smoky sheen at times - in other sections, it seems a little frail, sometimes wayward, and occasionally grainy - even with a definite detachment that reminds me of Emiliana Torrini. The finished product benefits from a dark, rich texture in terms of production, beautifully rendered in some parts, slightly more fierce in others - but I've still to work out precisely why I ended up liking this CD as much as I did, with its faults laid out for the world to see. The disc practically lived in my player for a week after I bought it two years ago - I even remember it being played back-to-back on several occasions. Maybe there wasn't much in the way of competition at the time, or perhaps it was indeed compulsive listening - so try to analyse it? Well, I'll have a go - it'll give me an excuse to play the album once again!

What's on the CD?

Eleven tracks are listed on "The Overture & The Underscore", but there's also a hidden twelfth that starts off at 10:29 on the final track.

01. All Coming Back
02. Beautiful Secrets
03. Always Worth It
04. At Your Best
05. Don't U Eva
06. Counting Sheep
07. Perfect Now
08. Sweet November
09. Cinders
10. True Intentions
11. Remorse
12. (Hidden Track) Long Time - starts off at 10:29 on Track 11

All Coming Back

"Light up the skies, argue the night
To reveal one thing I did was right"

The half-whispered vocal introduction to "All Coming Back" introduces the listener to Sarah's world, one comprising intricate little pop-moulded symphonies and arrangement-focussed songs. Even before the first chorus, you've experienced a whole artist's palette of sounds running the full gamut from a darkly slumbering organic piano right through to synthetic electronics - whilst there's a familiar classic feel to it (clearly what she was after), it also sounds strangely purposeful. The insistent, ever-present prickly bass guitar line gets under your skin rather quickly, but Sarah's slightly detached but wonderfully precise vocals, plus that occasional piano, prevents you from becoming totally unsettled - well, that and the chirping 606 beat that appears just when you think you've sussed this track out. When she finally stretches out towards the end, her delivery is still largely bereft of emotion, something that prevents this song reaching anywhere near classic status. However, "All Coming Back" is short, to the point and a fairly reasonable start - it's fair enough to say that the arrangement wins the day yet Sarah's vocals are oddly tempting in many ways, plus the song shows just enough promise to keep you listening to what follows.

Beautiful Secrets

"But you can't always know
What they will uncover on the news
And you can't be too sure
That your secret life won't show through"

There's definitely more promise on "Beautiful Secrets", the intro laced with deliciously echo-laden percussion that doesn't try too hard to impress with extra bells and whistles. This develops into a full-blown backing that really doesn't rise much higher on the registry, Sarah's vocals instead shouldering more of the responsibility for the success or failure of the song. She rises to the challenge more than in the opener, and there's more than just a hint of emotion in her delivery for a change, although most of it is saved for the exits from the choruses - that and the vocal melange that serves as a mid-section. It all sounds quite exquisite and beautifully hand-crafted, a delicate little piece that might shatter at any given minute - definitely a curio yet with enough positive elements to tide you over until the first single.

Always Worth It

"Half forgotten things
In the depths of time they lie
With significance
Waiting for the simplest sign of life"

Although I like this album, I'm not totally blind to Sarah Blasko's deficits - whilst she's adept at mixing her vocals and the instruments together without the hint of a join, her delivery often lets her songs down at the crucial moments - not that it's bad, just detached and possibly indifferent. When she tries to shift up a gear or two, you'd expect some emotion to leak through at least, but she seems to want the same tone throughout. "Always Worth It" is a prime example about what's so good and not-so-good about her music - it's arguably one of the two best songs on the album (and was the first single), has a rather memorable arrangement yet seems lumbered by a lack of feeling throughout. Going back to my recipe metaphor, all the ingredients are present bar one - there's a fully-realised yet restrained use of strings underlying a jangly guitar background, with the song being driven forward by pulsating drums. Everything builds to an uplifting chorus - the electronics push through at key moments, adding strength where its needed - but there's just one thing missing. The song might want to soar, but Sarah Blasko wants her feet kept firmly on the ground. In someone else's hands and given a bit of vocal welly, this would be a stand-out track - here it's a little above mediocre but the arrangement still makes it memorable and much more enjoyable than it probably deserves.

If only she could have given her vocals the same sort of quirky, wink-in-the-eye, lively performance she acts out in the video for this song: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PSQvQ-TjYnY&feature=channel

At Your Best

"It's you against the world, I don't think so
They wouldn't stand a chance now girl
Cause even when your back's on the ropes
I can tell, you'll get them by the final bell"

I suppose one of the reasons why I liked this album as much as I did was because Sarah Blasko's voice is still oddly compelling, despite its distinct lack of emotion when it counts. This is true of "At Your Best", one of the album's slower and less-overtly-produced tracks. There's a bit of life on show here, establishing more of a connection with the listener, although the backing is much more sympathetic, which helps enormously. That flat delivery still appears in places, but she's displaying much more range and depth in others and as a whole, it's very promising - the preciseness slips a bit in favour of a more grainy and less defined texture. The arrangement is simple and quite uncluttered, only the horns courtesy of Korel Tunador providing contrast and intrigue.

Don't U Eva

"u've got a way with words
u've got a way th@ makes me feel so complic8ed
a wall keeps u from me
u'd raze the d%rs down jst so u can find the key"

Yes, it had to happen sooner or later, text-speak finally came into a song. I can't confirm that "Don't U Eva" was the first example, but it's certainly the first one I've come across - and the lyrics are laid out in the booklet exactly as above, degenerating into a completely unreadable mess (well, for this Luddite reviewer, anyway, who only has a mobile phone under sufferance). Personally, I hate text-speak, but the song itself makes up for its deficiencies in English, probably my favourite from the whole album. It's the most radio-friendly song on the CD but the downside is the simplistic lyrics and Sarah's frankly antiseptic tone (although she's not as bad here as on other tracks) - never mind the whole text thing. Put this to the back of your mind, though, and the rest is extremely enjoyable - even the samples from 1980s Casio keyboards that Sarah used whilst constructing the demos for the album have been retained in places on "Don't U Eva" - another little quirk in a song chock full of them. A further spark of genius was to obtain the services of drumming legend Joey Waronker (who has played with the likes of REM, Beck and Gemma Hayes) - his input can be best appreciated here, plus his work on the percussion. Sarah managed to get him to play on an initial handful of tracks on the album, but he eventually stayed to organise all of the drums and percussion on each song. However, co-writer Robert Cranny's effortless yet knife-edged piano threatens to steal the show at every given opportunity - it cuts through the arrangement like wind-shear.

For those of you who go straight onto Youtube after reading my reviews, I'll save you the bother of searching for her - here's the link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tf3tkU08B08

Counting Sheep

"If it's all the same to you I've decided that I'm lacking proof
A basic thread of unbelief could unravel your attempt at truth
You could blame it on her, you could pin it on him, that'd be a lie
'Cos there's no subtle dispute or selfless pursuit"

Sarah Blasko might lack much in the way of emotion in her delivery, but there's no getting away from the clever use of words in many of her songs. "Counting Sheep" contains some of the album's best lines - including what might be an unintended dig at her detachment - "These things are marked by what they hide". You could take that as being a commentary on how the arrangements make up for her vocal failings. Yet listen closely and she's actually coming out of her protective shell slightly, with a few attempts at a change in pitch and power to stimulate the audience. However, the arrangement itself tends to sound a wee bit flat - clearly she's not managed to balance the two halves of a song just yet, and "Counting Sheep" might not be needed to send the listener into a state of unconsciousness. There's no lack of instrumentation though - hi-hats, shakers and synths make their appearances, plus there's even a sample taken from a Morse Code transmitter buried in there somewhere. It's just that Sarah's lack of interest seems to have migrated across to the music - a shame.

Long Time (Hidden Track)

"You like an army
Occupy my mind
The quietness of time
And I wish I could ignore you
And the impression that you made in my life"

Fast-forward through the five minutes of silence following "Remorse" and then just simply wallow in "Long Time". Now this is more like it - Sarah sounds much more expressive, more content to allow the emotion in her vocals to show through. She only has a sparsely-strummed acoustic guitar for company but it all sounds wonderful, the pared-down arrangement giving her literally no place to hide. There's a longing and a searching in her delivery, plenty of depth and difference that makes you wonder what the rest of the album would have sounded like if even a tenth of this had been applied elsewhere. She saves the best for last, though - the final line is topped off with one last very audible exhaled breath.

CD Artwork and Inlay

Full lyrics are provided for each song except the hidden track, plus in a departure from everything else I've ever seen, the guitar chords for most of the songs are included too. The small font type and size makes everything a little difficult to read at times, though. Apart from the cover photo (Blasko wearing what appears to be an army greatcoat though the latter has been Photoshopped to give it a cartoon feeling), there are no other images at all.

Conclusion

Whilst I've criticised Sarah Blasko for her antiseptic, detached and possibly indifferent delivery in most of this review, her voice is not unpleasant - at times it is actually compelling and interesting. However, she has seemingly chosen a range of songs that score due to their arrangements and not for her vocals - a pity when you hear what she is capable of on the hidden track, "Long Time". Clever production does not an album make, however, and no doubt many will tire of the busy behind-the-scenes instrumentation shortly after giving up on her emotionless, soulless rendering. Just a little more bite would have lifted her clear of the flat-lined tone she seems comfortable in - and would have ended up making this album a delight to listen to.

If you're willing to forgive her for her flaws, then there is plenty to admire on "The Overture & The Underscore", though - including two reasonable memorable songs ("Always Worth It" and "Don't U Eva") plus the wonderful "Long Time" tucked away at the end. I haven't heard "What The Sea Wants, The Sea Shall Have" yet - I've heard it takes a slightly different tack to this album but I'm not entirely convinced that it'll be anything but the same as I've found here.

In the end, "The Overture & The Underscore" is a curio, filled with promise albeit carrying a millstone around it's neck. I still can't really work out why I like it, though - in the end, even writing this review didn't particularly provide many answers. I'd still recommend it, though - there are more pluses than minuses here.
 

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