SARAH BLASKO's new record As Day Follows Night has an open intimacy unlike either of her previous records. Her unabashedly honest lyrics transport the audience into her world where she invites you to share her heartache, sadness and hope, as opposed to leaving the audience to merely experience her stories through soundwaves afar. This is what makes the record disarmingly beautiful.
Sarah feels the intimacy on the new album comes from writing in solitude, which was an unexpectedly anxious process. "In the beginning I was quite lonely and really struggled with my confidence," Sarah explains. "It was really scary because everything was completely in my hands. It was just such a strange thing because I have written parts on my own before. But I grew to really cherish writing alone. It was a difficult but rewarding time."
Although the album is distinctly Blasko, the blues influence sees her treading new terrain. While a melancholy tone lingers, musically the record is upbeat, uplifting and fresh. Eerie sounds in All I Want create an atmosphere of riding high upon a depression, yet with a sense of hope, whereas Over And Over is a cute jangly tune. Instrument choice also shows distinct differences. "I didn't want any electric guitars, keyboards or synths, so that's really different to my other records," says Sarah. "We had these beautiful big grand pianos that we could have used, but I really fell in love with this tiny upright piano, it just had more character than the others."
Her captivating voice keeps you in a poised emotional grip for the whole 46 minutes of the album, something which producer Bjorn Yttling (of Peter, Bjorn and John fame) was very encouraging of. "Bjorn emphasised the importance of my singing as being the centre of the record. I've never worked with anyone who put such an emphasis on my voice. I found it very encouraging," says Sarah.
To find a producer you can trust to help craft your songs is a big investment. "It made sense to look through my records and see if there was anyone who'd be great to work with. I'd heard Bjorn's string arrangements on Camera Obscura records and really liked it. There was simplicity in the production and arrangements. I sent him a letter and pretty much heard back from him straight away, so I went and visited him in Stockholm. I wanted to make a record that sounded old fashioned, but so you couldn't really work out what time it was from. The stuff Bjorn worked on had those qualities."
Even though Sarah had confidence in Bjorn she still had insecurities. "Even knowing he'd worked on great stuff, I still couldn't completely relax," she admits. "It can just be so hard to trust somebody that you don't really know that well. If I knew then what I know now it would have been fine because he did a really good job!"
Throughout our chat Sarah's responses are littered with sheepish giggles as though she's embarrassed to be receiving the attention she does. However when asked if she's happy with the record it's easy to hear her grin through the phone. "I really love it and I'm really happy ...
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SARAH BLASKO's new record As Day Follows Night has an open intimacy unlike either of her previous records. Her unabashedly honest lyrics transport the audience into her world where she invites you to share her heartache, sadness and hope, as opposed to leaving the audience to merely experience her stories through soundwaves afar. This is what makes the record disarmingly beautiful.
Sarah feels the intimacy on the new album comes from writing in solitude, which was an unexpectedly anxious process. "In the beginning I was quite lonely and really struggled with my confidence," Sarah explains. "It was really scary because everything was completely in my hands. It was just such a strange thing because I have written parts on my own before. But I grew to really cherish writing alone. It was a difficult but rewarding time."
Although the album is distinctly Blasko, the blues influence sees her treading new terrain. While a melancholy tone lingers, musically the record is upbeat, uplifting and fresh. Eerie sounds in All I Want create an atmosphere of riding high upon a depression, yet with a sense of hope, whereas Over And Over is a cute jangly tune. Instrument choice also shows distinct differences. "I didn't want any electric guitars, keyboards or synths, so that's really different to my other records," says Sarah. "We had these beautiful big grand pianos that we could have used, but I really fell in love with this tiny upright piano, it just had more character than the others."
Her captivating voice keeps you in a poised emotional grip for the whole 46 minutes of the album, something which producer Bjorn Yttling (of Peter, Bjorn and John fame) was very encouraging of. "Bjorn emphasised the importance of my singing as being the centre of the record. I've never worked with anyone who put such an emphasis on my voice. I found it very encouraging," says Sarah.
To find a producer you can trust to help craft your songs is a big investment. "It made sense to look through my records and see if there was anyone who'd be great to work with. I'd heard Bjorn's string arrangements on Camera Obscura records and really liked it. There was simplicity in the production and arrangements. I sent him a letter and pretty much heard back from him straight away, so I went and visited him in Stockholm. I wanted to make a record that sounded old fashioned, but so you couldn't really work out what time it was from. The stuff Bjorn worked on had those qualities."
Even though Sarah had confidence in Bjorn she still had insecurities. "Even knowing he'd worked on great stuff, I still couldn't completely relax," she admits. "It can just be so hard to trust somebody that you don't really know that well. If I knew then what I know now it would have been fine because he did a really good job!"
Throughout our chat Sarah's responses are littered with sheepish giggles as though she's embarrassed to be receiving the attention she does. However when asked if she's happy with the record it's easy to hear her grin through the phone. "I really love it and I'm really happy. I feel like it's the best thing I've done."
As Day Follows Night is released Saturday July 11 through Dew Process.
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