Sarah Blasko’s new album ‘Eternal Return’ is her best work yet, a folktronic sensation that demands repeated listening.
For Blasko recording an album involves escaping from her regularly surroundings and encapsulating herself in a different environment.
Her previous albums had been recorded in far flung locations including Hollywood, Sweden and New Zealand, but for her fifth record the she stayed in Australia working with former Gerling member Burke Reid. While she didn’t head overseas, Blasko said she still followed the same process.
“We were staying in a residential studio, so you still had to go there and immerse yourself in the whole experience. I enjoy doing that with each album. In the past it’s been exciting to think ‘where can I go?’, ‘Who can I do this with?’ I think it kind of makes you step up to what you’re doing and push yourself forward, throwing yourself into at times kind of uncomfortable situations.”
Review
Sarah Blasko Eternal Return
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
On her fifth album Sarah Blasko delivers a dramatic and intensive collection of tunes that take her in a fresh musical direction. It’s an album that should bring her a new legion of fans and admirers.
The record kicks off with the powerful ‘I Am Ready’ a tune that builds anticipation for what’s to come. ‘I Want to Be Your Man’ is filled with crisp synthesizers. ‘Better With You’ has some swirling and magical sounds as Blasko sings about how everything in life is better when you’re in love.
This albums cleverly taps into a pop sound of days gone by, while sounding totally fresh for today.
Staying closer to home allowed Blasko to record the album in small chunks rather than tackling a whole record in one large session.
“We’d record for five days and then come back three weeks later and do some more.” Blasko said, “Having a little bit more time gives you a different perspective.”
Blasko describes her producer as one of the most open minded and enthusiastic people she’s worked with.
“Burke’s a very enthusiastic person, and I’ve never worked with anyone who has that much energy, constant energy, in the studio. He works like demon and we ended up recording to three in the morning, even though we would have started at eleven o’clock in the morning.” Blasko said.
The record has been described as having ‘80s vibe, something that Blasko attributes to the synthesizers used throughout the recording but she hesitates calling it an ‘80s record.
“I don’t think the production values sounds very ‘80s or the drums, they’re really dry and tight and lot of ‘80s drums and roomy and full of reverb, but I wanted to make an album that was bit nostalgic, but there is a blurring of where it’s from. Mostly I wanted to make a really tight pop record.” Blasko said.
The album is full of love songs, asked if you have to be in love to write love songs, Blasko said for her it was essential.
“I think so, it depends what kind of love song I guess. If it’s a song where you’re imagining that you’re someone else you don’t have to experience it, but I think the best things come from experience, but maybe that’s the kind of writer I am… I write from where I’m at.” Blasko said.
Blasko said the distinctively different sound on her new record is a bit of a jump from her last record but she hopes it something her fans will embrace.
“In a lot of ways I see it as having links to my first record.” Blasko said sharing that she’s eager for the record to be released, “I just to be out there so people can start to take it in.”
Sarah Blasko’s ‘Eternal Return’ is available now. Sarah Blasko will play the Astor Theatre on 30th April, 2016.
Graeme Watson
