Review Summary: Sarah Blasko's second full-length exceeds all expectations and positions her as one of Australia's greatest new songwriters.
In the two short years since the release of her full length debut,
The Overture and the Underscore, Sarah Blasko has risen to become one of Australia's most respected songwriters, as well as gaining a reputation for being one of Australia's most impressive live performers. Between albums, Blasko contributed to a number of projects (most notably Bluebottle Kiss' album
Doubt Seeds and
She Will Have Her Way, a Neil & Tim Finn tribute album) and toured overseas with the likes of James Blunt and Martha Wainwright. Debuting on the Australian charts at #7,
What the Sea Wants, the Sea Will Have is Blasko's second album and the highly anticipated follow-up to
The Overture and the Underscore.
Credits
Sarah Blasko - Vocals, Drum Programming, Synth, Vibraphone, Organ, Wurlitzer, Acoustic Guitar
Robert F Cranny - Acoustic & Electric Guitars, Piano, Mellotron, Organ, Harmonium, SH-101, Drum Machine, Bass Guitar on "For You", Synth Bass on "The Garden's End"
Jeff de Araujo - Drums and percussion
Jim Moginie - Mellotron, Piano, Wurlitzer, Toy Piano, Omnichord, Electric Guitar on "Hammer"
David Symes - Bass Guitar, Synth Bass
Stéphanie Zarka - Violin
Michele O’Young - Violin
David Wicks - Viola
Andy Hines - Cello
Andy Meisel - Double Bass
Melaine Vanden Broek - Bassoon
As you can probably tell by looking at the album's cover,
What the Sea Wants, the Sea Will Have is a darker record than it's predecessor. Blasko's debut was essentially a pop album and through her pop songwriting, she achieved success in a way that she (and probably most others) would never have expected. Thankfully, Blasko's success has only encouraged her to be more ambitious in her songwriting. That said,
What the Sea Wants, the Sea Will Have retains many elements of the pop songwriting that characterized her debut. To put it more simply, Sarah Blasko has made both an incredible step forward and one of the year's best records.
"For You", the album's first track serves to introduce the rest of the album and to let the listener know that this album is something more than just a collection of radio-friendly pop songs. With electronics, strings and her ethereal voice, "For You" shows the electronic influence of artists such as Radiohead and Bjork in Blasko's music. Other songs, such as lead single "{Explain}" feature entirely organic instrumentation with pop sensibilities. The majority of the album, however, features a large number of instruments; strings, woodwinds, guitars and pianos are the most common.
The most important thing to understand about
What the Sea Wants, the Sea Will Have is that it is an epic of sorts. The arrangements are far more grand than anything that Blasko has attempted in the past and songs often flow together seamlessly. This is not a particularly easy album to get into; it requires multiple listens to truly grow accustomed to. However, where this record may be somewhat inaccessible, it is also incredibly beautiful and sophisticated. Blasko's range of sounds has expanded quite considerably and as a result, there are electronic tracks ("For You"), epic string driven tracks ("{Explain}", "I Could Never Belong To You"), quiet acoustic songs ("The Woman By The Well") and some amazingly catchy songs ("Planet New Year", "Queen of Apology"). Special mention must also be made to "Always On This Line", which is quite possibly the most beautiful pop song Blasko has written thus far.
With
What the Sea Wants, the Sea Will Have , Sarah Blasko has absolutely exceeded even the highest of expectations. For a second album (and one that has been released just two years after her first),
What the Sea Wants, the Sea Will Have is an incredibly mature record. Though fans of the pop songs on her first album may find this to be dissapointing, the fact that this record debuted at #7 in the Australian charts shows that whatever Blasko is doing is working. If
The Overture and the Underscore was Blasko's proof of her ability as a songwriter and performer,
What the Sea Wants, the Sea Will Have is an early masterpiece.
Pros
More eclectic
Amazing songwriting
Sarah's voice is quite incredible
Cons
Perhaps a little inaccessible to fans of her first record
Recommended Tracks
For You
Always On This Line
Hammer
