Videos

Sarah Blasko – No Turning Back

• 5th Aug 2010

Sarah Blasko unleashes with defiance on the pounding ‘No Turning Back’. Typically the set closer in her captivating live shows, the insistent keys and percussion are perfectly marshalled by producer Björn Yttling. With Sarah’s normally ethereal, hushed vocals replaced with an over brimming anger, ‘No Turning Back’ is a muscular step forward for the lady feted by Lauren Laverne as ‘a musical gem’.

“Music’s role is to move people, not about perfection. Music without feeling is dead.”

Although her sound can be loosely described as “PJ Harvey without the shouting” (Q Magazine) or Lykke Li with the emphasis on acoustic instruments rather than electronic sounds, Sarah Blasko is an artist all of her own. Her influences range from the likes of Talking Heads and Nick Cave to Ennio Morricone and Henry Mancini. With a very strict religious upbringing, Sarah uses her lyrics as a sort of purging process, and wrote her latest album, the phenomenal ‘As Day Follows Night’, following a devastating break up. With the likes of the vulnerable ‘I Never Knew’ and ‘Is My Baby Yours?’, Sarah marks herself out as having a truly singular grasp on the vagaries of the human heart. Meanwhile, the tunefulness of the David-Byrne-quoting ‘Over And Over’, the jazz-club bound ‘Bird On A Wire’ and first single ‘We Won’t Run’ reveal that, far from being morose, Sarah has an innate way of finding a sweet, uplifting melody that will burrow itself into your head.

“A triumph … a remarkable set of songs, a wonderful record … a classic, in fact.” Robert Forster

The seed for Sarah’s approach to conveying her emotions into a new album came about when she was performing in and working on the score for a new production of Hamlet for Australia’s Bell Shakespeare Company. Invited by Björn Yttling of Peter, Bjorn & John to fly out to Sweden, the pair set about putting Sarah’s soul-baring lyrics to the “pure, elemental songs played on acoustic instruments” that she envisioned. The resulting album has drawn acclaim from many different sources in the music scene. Already nominated for 5 ARIAS back home – winning for Best Female – and being crowned Triple J’s Album of The Year, Robert Forster of the Go-Betweens claimed the record was “a wonderfully diverse and melodic collection”, while The Presets used their remixing skills to turn out a popular up-tempo electro version of ‘Hold On My Heart’. That word of mouth has filtered on to these shores, and in July Sarah was invited by Ben Lovett of Mumford & Sons to contribute to his label Communion’s week-long takeover of The Flowerpot in Kentish Town, alongside the likes of Lissie, Mt Desolation, Kill It Kid and Lyrebirds. This saw her collaborate with Angus & Julia Stone to write and perform a brand new song in just one day.

Having supported fellow Aussies The Temper Trap on a UK tour in May, Sarah has continued to impress on her own with festival appearances at the likes of Secret Garden Party and The Great Escape. With a performance at V Festival and a headline UK tour lined up for the Autumn, Sarah Blasko is quickly becoming the next best-kept secret in British music.

“Blasko has a certain sophistication to her that makes you warm to her elegant, yet simple, style”
– Clash Magazine

“As Day Follows night focuses on strong melodies carried through by the dusky tones of Blasko’s soft vocals”
– The Stool Pigeon

“She has the rare ability to suspend you in that bittersweet state between heartbreak and heart-swell”
– Lauren Laverne