Amy Blaschke is a largely unknown singer/songwriter from the Pacific
Northwest. Her new album features an indie-celeb backing band made up of Erin Tate (of Minus the Bear) and James Bertram (764-HERO, Red Stars Theory, Lync, etc). While immediately bringing to mind other female indie-folksters Ida, Cat Power, and Tara Jane O'Neil, her music quickly draws you in and reveals itself to be unique and in possession of its own haunted voice.
Her crushing songs are delivered with her voice, rarely arching or straining. Though detached and sedate, her melodies have hooks that dig deep and don't let go. James and Erin's backing keeps the music moving and fresh, quickening and slowing the pace in all the right ways. "Estranged" opens the album at its highest point. Its explosive (well, relatively speaking) chorus and catchy melody has stuck into my head many times since first hearing this album. While never quite reaching those heights again, the album still offers several great songs, particularly "Avalanche," "Sweep Song," and "Poor Old Man."
The lyrics are exposed, fragile, and sometimes a little too naive. This is the album's only weakness. "Skating at Night" has a chorus which repeats the line, "It makes me sentimental." While this certainly reads like bad poetry, the translation to music does nothing to lessen the listener's cringe. While this problem creeps out of the music occasionally, her straightforward and direct lyrical style generally works with her songwriting. For example, "You Insist" has a lyric that reads: "No don't change/Stay this way/I like you/I like you/I like you this way." While this may read as amateurish, when she sings it, it sounds artfully direct.
Considering where, say, Chan Marshall's songwriting abilities were on her second album, there's no question in my mind that Amy will grow to be one of the luminaries among her peers.
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