Miranda OBrien

Sarah Blasko

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.

Yves Klein Blue

"I think maybe some bands do just go into the studio and cut a record," explains lead singer Michael Tomlinson from the divinely talented YVES KLEIN BLUE. "But making our first album Ragged and Ecstatic was the most challenging thing the band has ever done."

The four lads from Brisbane penned their distinctive name from French artist Yves Klein who created a shade of blue which Michael describes as having a timeless quality. "It reflects our focus to make timeless music that can stand on its own two feet," with latest single Getting Wise a true testament to their focus.

With an EP that gained considerable triple j airplay, Yves Klein Blue worked with a producer for the first time on their full length record, which Michael describes as a confronting and rewarding experience. "The way our producer viewed things was sometimes different to how we did," explains Michael. "We had to discipline the songs and decide what was and wasn't necessary, whether there was something missing or a problem with an arrangement. It was a new concept that we hadn't gone through before."

As they tore apart arrangements and songs when they got into the studio, I ask Michael how he felt during that time. "Everything became uncertain and only the strongest parts of songs survived. It was hard, there's no denying it was very difficult to remain calm and not panic," Michael reveals.

"This record wasn't fun all the time, but because it was hard it was so wonderful when it worked out. The process literally was ragged and ecstatic. It was really, really fucking depressing, incredibly euphoric and triumphant, all at the same time." It's clear that recording was a major influence on the album title. Michael is extremely honest and upfront about the difficulties they had recording and discussed them with me at length, which is something to be respected.

The ecstatic:

"We know so much more about music than when we walked through the studio. We couldn't be happier with the result, we're really proud of it. We listen to the record and can't believe it's us! We don't have any insecurity about it," he squeals.

With their nationwide tour looming, Michael recalls meeting two fans at their ANU gig who later drove to Sydney to attend their single launch. I suggest that such activity may lend itself to groupie behaviour, which really wouldn't be surprising given Canberra has the highest number of saucy minxes per capita, in addition to the lure of the band's suave exterior.

"Well Callam and Izzie are going out so I don't know whether they really are," says Michael. However amidst speculation on the topic and Michael entertaining different scenarios ("Callam could be homosexual for a night?") we settle for 'quasi-groupies' with Michael bashfully concluding "I think you've given me a little too much credit."

Michael's obviously paid attention in media training 101, employing the age old and quite lovely 'butter up the journo' tactic by saying he'd catch up with me at his show. True to form it's another quality that makes Yves Klein Blue purely timeless.

Yves Klein Blue play the ANU Bar on Wednesday July 1. Get your tickets through Ticketek.

venus as A BOY

Miranda O'Brien

It’s spirituality packaged into a 13 track album, music you can bop along to, Barbie femininity sprinkled with sugar or “living in a world with too much fight and too little compassion,” explains BEN LEE. It’s his new album, The Rebirth Of Venus.

He’s still sporting his trademark positive gusto, brimming with hope and exploring new concepts. It’s clear the new album is Ben asserting himself in a new domain, thus it’s safe to assume the new album is heavily influenced by his recent marriage in India performed by his spiritual teacher, Sakthi Narayani Amma. In Lee’s latest single, I Love Pop Music, he gets on the eco pop bandwagon and attempts to showcase his political prowess. The spoken word verses, however, which may be Ben’s realisation that his vocal range is pretty limited, are statements about the current state of the world we’re all already very aware of – global warming, the rising price of oil, the food crisis etc. Lee himself has dubbed the lyrics as his attempt to deal with big political issues with a song, yet when I asked him to clarify if the song really is overtly political he responds with: “I just think it’s a song. Like all songs, it deals with my feelings, thoughts and experiences at the moment I wrote it. I suppose it tackles concerns that you might call political.” The song explicitly states “politics you can romance to,” Mr Lee, what up?

It’s the perfect pop cliché of catchy hooks, boppy tempo and lyrics which lack substance. Really, it’s image positioning on Lee’s behalf, to help fit in with his theme of paying respects to Venus. At a previous ARIA awards ceremony Ben enthusiastically declared that pop music can change the world, and it surely can… if done well.

Over the trajectory of Ben’s career he’s copped a lot of criticism for various reasons, including his spirituality. He has a penchant for pop music but has he followed suit of venting frustration about media criticism in his songs? “Criticism hurts my feelings sometimes but there’s nothing I can really do. I don’t know if it affected my new album... maybe the first song, What’s So Bad (About Feeling Good)?, could be interpreted as a response to criticism,” Ben says.

The awkward, goofy musician hailing from Bondi has come a long way since being triple j’s sweetheart in the late ‘90s, but he may have always had a spiritual side. He recalls being 13 years old and having a calling from Nirvana (not the state of being but the band). The music’s message was: “you can do this, start a band!” Surely many teens felt a calling from Cobain and co, but not all fresh young things could turn it into a long spanning career as Mr Lee has.

Tying in with the major theme of the album which Ben describes as “individually and collectively feeling out of balance and trying to correct that,” the seemingly gender transition song I’m A Woman Too explores the balance between masculinity and femininity. It appears to be a social commentary on power relations, as Ben vaguely explains we’ve all been victims and bullies. At times it’s embarrassing to listen to the album while at times you move your feet with a grin.

A blasé, wanky, too cool for school attitude? Yes. But still producing good music from time to time? Yes. The man presents a dichotomy. Make up your own mind when Ben hits The Big O tour at ANU Bar on Tuesday March 3. Tickets from Ticketek. The Rebirth Of Venus is out now via Dew Process/Universal.

The Bamboos - Bamboozled

The Bamboos

When a band who describes themselves as raw funk and sweet soul decide to cover an indie song, you’ve got to give them credit for being innovative with their craft, and for tackling a challenge. Covers are always compared to the original, however the only clue that THE BAMBOOS ’ King Of The Rodeo is actually a Kings Of Leon cover, is the title and the words. “I’m a fan of Kings Of Leon and we wanted to connect with that side of music. It’s a tradition in funk and soul music to cover pop songs of the day. The band’s cool and I wanted a song that had originating quality,” Lance Ferguson, lead guitarist of The Bamboos says.

The Bamboos are a seven piece group hailing from Melbourne whose latest album Side Stepper is their third studio release. Forming in 2001, the funk outfit started out as a four piece band who independently released their first album through Lance’s own label. They have since gone on to acquire more band members and have extensively toured internationally with the likes of Mr. Scruff.

“The only song that didn’t make it on the new album was our version of the Foo Fighters’ Generator. Originally we planned to cover that, but we recorded it and it just didn’t work. I rushed home that night and wrote the arrangement for King Of The Rodeo,” says Lance.

One of the great things about Side Stepper is that while homage is paid to funk and soul music, modern twists are also injected. “I think it’s important to not keep churning out the same stuff, to have a derivative style” the nice-as-pie Lance says. “We definitely still fit in a mould, but it’s a bit more Northern soul. I think by expanding you have more substance.”

It’s obvious from listening to Side Stepper that the band draws a link between hip-hop and funk, however unlike a lot of commercial hip-hop which graces our airwaves, The Bamboos don’t sample the hell out of originals. They’re better than that. Lance comments, “Without sounding like I’m preaching I really like to educate people with entertainment, that’s why I love to pull out an original and play it live, not just sample it.”
The Bamboos’ music is infectious and definitely jig worthy. Even if your dancing skills resemble over excited kids at a concert of The Wiggles it’s all ok, it’s just about feeling good and having a good time. When you produce music which really does inspire a good boogie, one has to wonder if musicians can jig to their own music. “Unfortunately I listen to our stuff for hours and hours, and when it’s finished I don’t want to go near it for at least a month. But then later I want to make sure it’s still good. I love when I get to the point where I’m not analysing it and can just enjoy it for what it is,” explains Lance. He informs me he does get to this stage with quite a few of The Bamboos songs.

You can catch The Bamboos featuring Kylie Audlist at Block Party in the, Trinity carpark on Saturday January 10. Tickets on sale through Moshtix , Trinity Bar and Landspeed Records .

Ash Grunwald - Romper Stomper

Ash Grunwald

Once upon a time there was a dreadlocked man who only saw himself as a blues musician. Happy in his musical box, he put his own stamp on tunes the likes of Tom Waits’ Going Out West and recorded his first album in a mere 24-hour period. His original blues songs had always been a tad unconventional as there was no adhering to the usual lyrical themes. Time passed and, fortunately for the ears out in music land, ASH GRUNWALD realised he had enough talent to do so much more with his music – though that’s not to say his contributions up until that point weren’t more than enough. And so we have a very brief history of the musical journey of Ash Grunwald.

So where to from here? In what can truly be described as eccentric for a blues musician, Ash used baking trays, hammers, iron bars and many other everyday objects to add a new flavour to his music. Obviously he’s made a distinct effort to evolve what’s typically labelled ‘blues’ music, so what is it about Delta blues that has influenced Ash so much? “It’s the sound of the blues that’s appealing to me; the origins of blues as a genre are in poverty but I never write about personal hardships. I might write about my car breaking down which is something trivial, but it’s the sound that appeals to me,” Ash says.

For a musician typically categorised as ‘bluegrass’, working with hip-hop producer Countbounce of popular Aussie hip-hop outfit TZU makes the title of Ash’s new album Fish Out Of Water aptly titled. Your feet will become eager to move, your buns will be eager to groove, and your ears will be greedy little devils for some good old-fashioned stomp boxing, funk mama beats and copious amounts of positive energy. And then there’s his deep-as-dirty-water grizzly vocals.

Stomp boxes seem to have become the signature trade mark of the one man band, which “does put more pressure on you being solo, but it’s a good pressure. It forces you to be more inventive. You’ll have a band with a bass player and a drummer, and that’s cool, but it’s not really doing anything different. It’s fair to say I value progression,” explains Ash. I find the one man band thing so interesting as it defies conventional notions of instrumentation and shows there’s a breed of musician who is being innovative and isn’t hesitant to try new things.

Interestingly, Ash feels Fish Out Of Water has more in common with electronic music as “sometimes at a gig when it’s going off, I feel more like a DJ going nuts with my stomp box creating grooves, getting people to dance – it’s a great feeling, I love playing live. The new album has the grooves and beats found in a lot of rap and roots music; it excites me to add that element!” exclaims Mr Grunwald. He also mentions he’d be reluctant to call himself a blues musician these days. “It’s funny, when you’re a part of the ‘roots/blues’ genre you tend to talk about genre so much! It’s like you compare your music to what it is and what it isn’t,” Ash says, which will definitely be the case with the hybrid style of Fish Out Of Water. To catch one of Ash’s electric live performances, head down to ANU – your dancing shoes will thank you

Fish Out Of Water is available August 30 on through Shock. You can catch Ash live at ANU on Friday September 5 with the Last Town Chorus. Tickets $20 from Ticketek and ww.thelastagency.com .

Lior / Leroy Lee @ The Playhouse, Canberra Theatre Thursday April 10

We live in an age of tiny white earplugs and MP3s where the small musical details, perhaps inconsequential but still important, are lost in the ether of MP3 waves, in the many burned CDs, and rendered obsolete, thus fundamentally changing the way we listen to and experience music. So having the pleasure of hearing Leroy Lee create a textured, interesting soundspace where every musical murmur has an acute presence makes you truly appreciate live music.

Leroy’s use of a looping pedal held a grip on the audience. The woman in front of me was moving forward in her seat admiring Leroy’s concentration, marvelling over his stomp box and quickly became a victim of intrigue! The great thing about looping pedals is the way they create spaciousness – you spend the time trying to pick out instruments, chords and at what point a certain loop was created. It’s a wonderful ‘keep you on your toes’ gift to give an audience; it makes music fresh, lively and interesting.
Leroy was quite an amusing chap when interacting with the audience and had a lot of character. His song Daddy Long Legs, a screw-you ode to an old manager, was quite a fun number – nothing like hearing about a good old fashioned grass roots struggle. The crowd certainly showed their appreciation, and it was a little sad to see Leroy exit the stage.

The Playhouse is a beautiful and charming venue, the type of space where you can’t escape being completely immersed in a performance. So put a beautiful venue into the equation, a musician whose music is fraught with emotional power, add a string section and you’re set to have a lovely night. Lior can have delicate, gentle vocals or a rockier edge with yearning facial expressions. He played songs from both albums, wedding friendly single This Old Love, I’ll Forget You (minus Sia), as well as Sitting With a Stranger which initially sounded seductive with the string section.

Lior has a lot of variation in vocal pitch and loudness, however at times there isn’t much variation in rhythm, making his songs a tad tentative and monotonous. Besides a Nick Drake song for his encore, Lior made the bold move of treating us to the worst song he’s ever written, and yes, it was a treat. He began playing the song the way he wrote it when he was 16, and spruced it up by playing silly vocal games with what sounded like deep bearded man vocals, frequently changing the flow and pitch. You’ve gotta be fairly down to earth to play your worst song and announce it so in a public forum, let alone have fun with it.

Lior has an uplifting quality to his music - I felt grateful just to be alive and to experience such beautiful music. I can only hope I follow in the footsteps of the two nanas in the crowd and continue to attend quality live music.

Lior - In the lior’s den

The curly haired man with inestimable charm has created a melting pot of Eastern and Western flavours to once again warm our hearts. With tunes like This Old Love under his belt, you may wonder if LIOR can continue to deliver songs with the same warmth, integrity and honesty. He can, and certainly has, with new album Corner Of An Endless Road. First track April Bloom lures you into aural intoxication with its Eastern vibe and unique instruments, one of which is an Egyptian guitar called an oud.

“I wanted there to be a section of the album represented by Eastern instruments to reflect a little bit about my musical heritage and Israeli background - having grown up in Israel listening to Eastern as well as Western music,” Lior says.

Producer Francois Tetaz’s musical diversity is one of the reasons Lior enjoys working with him. Prior to starting work on Corner Of An Endless Road, Franc composed the score for horror movie Wolf Creek, as well as Rogue. “He’s a really great arranger, but he also has such a great knowledge of instruments,” Lior says. “He brings something to the table which is outside my realm of knowledge, so I think together we make a good team.”

Sometimes, you will find an album where the music eclipses the lyrics, or vice versa. But Corner Of An Endless Road is a beautiful album in that the music and lyrics perfectly compliment each other. “With songs like Heal Me I wanted to portray the catharsis of a relationship ending, so there’s nothing like the power and energy of an orchestra to do that. Franc and I sat down in an involved pre-production process and decided on what instruments and arrangements would convey the core emotive function of the song. A lot of the orchestral arrangements are like adaptations of vocal lines, and they’re very much Eastern slanted arrangements where the string lines are sliding in and around notes,” Lior says.

The album generally coaxes you into a serene state, and latest single I’ll Forget You, a duet with Sia, is no exception. Duets are quite uncommon these days, with Lior’s reaction being “‘a male/female duet, you can’t do that! What if it’s terrible?’ But he (Franc) convinced me and I thought, ‘well, what if we do it really well’? I was in LA doing some shows and I literally ran into Sia; she’s probably one of my top five favourite female singers. She heard the track and was right up for it,” Lior says.

The shadow puppetry used to tell the story in the filmclip adds to the bittersweet nostalgia of the song and portrays the sometimes delicate nature of relationships. “I saw this poster of this shadow puppet group and it looked like such a beautiful world. I went and saw it and was totally taken by this magical world. It became really unique in the sense that they built this 15 metre set and it was all shot in one take,” Lior explains.
The puppeteers hands are visible as “it was really important for us to convey that it wasn’t a computer animated clip… there’s no editing at all, I think that seeing the hands suggests that this is about human beings performing in real time.”

So get a good glass of wine, rug up in your winter knits and truly soak up the honesty, integrity and superbly written lyrics of this album.

Lior brings Corner of an Endless Road to the stage at The Playhouse on Thursday April 10, from 8pm. Tickets on 6243 5711 or canberratheatre.org.au .