Dash

Australian independent singer and song-writer Bertie Blackman has delivered her highly anticipated fifth full length album The Dash and it's a fun collection of synth pop songs full of shiny electronic production and lots of vocal hooks. Bertie Blackman has slowly added more production to each successive album she has released but The Dash really takes things over the top with a sound highly reminiscent of the eighties. There are many collaborators listed on this record both in songwriting and production and it was recorded at a number of different studios but overall the record sounds cohesive and complete. Highlights include the big vocal hooks and massive chorus of opener "Run For Your Life", the fat bass groove and slinky guitar sounds of "Dancing Into Trouble", the delay soaked vocal and catchy chorus hook of "Minute By Minute" which sounds like it was influenced by Madonna, the syncopated tom fills and half time chorus of "Strangers In A Moment" which also features a nice saxophone solo by Kirk Pengilly from INXS, the smooth ballad "Tear It Down" which has an atmospheric vocal and some tasty guitar effects leading into some brilliant harmonies after the chorus, and the final track "War Of One" which has a strong and intense groove that closes the album in fine fashion. Whilst it might struggle to deliver on uniqueness in a vast musical ocean of electronic infused pop, The Dash is a strong album that continues the Australian legacy of new wave synth pop laid by classic albums such as Whispering Jack by John Farnham and Man of Colours by Icehouse through to modern classics such as Walking On A Dream by Empire Of The Sun and This Is The Warning by Dead Letter Circus.