wears the trousers magazine

Read the rest of our Australia Week reviews here.

Bertie Blackman
Secrets & Lies •••
Forum 5

Much has been made of Bertie Blackman’s transition from alternative rock starlet to electronic goddess, but the transition is not that surprising given Blackman’s track record. Her evolution from demure folk-rock indie sweetheart on first album Headway to grungy rock chick on the follow up Black was just as compelling – if not as radical. On her latest effort Secrets & Lies, Blackman has reimagined her sound completely, and while it doesn’t always make an entirely convincing listen, it is certainly an intriguing one which needs a few listens to soak in.

Opening proceedings with the orchestral ‘Sky Is Falling’ is a brave choice, but it’s a fitting introduction to what is, by Blackman’s standards, an experimental record. The pulsating ’Thump’ is a no-holds-barred rocker that is given a certain edge by its electronic flourishes, while ‘Black Cats’, the first track to fully embrace electro, is a curiously endearing song that could have been plucked from The Presets’ Apocalypso. Lead single ‘Heart’ is a busily infectious affair, complete with tempo changes, ’80s-style synths and even doo-wop backing vocals. The album’s highlight, however, is the sprawling ‘Byrds Of Prey’, an instantly gripping club track that is calling out for a set of throbbing remixes, but even in its original form would win over the hardest of clubbers.

It’s unfortunate that Blackman doesn’t reach this frenetic pace again, but she keeps things moving at a reasonable tempo with the seductive ‘Come To Bed’ and the stirring, sparsely arranged ‘Shout Out’, which has more in common with her previous work than anything else on offer here. ’White Owl’ and ‘Clocks’, while sonically pretty, have moments that verge close to becoming tedious and dull, but in most cases Blackman’s understated vocal performances are engaging enough to maintain interest. Lyrically, too, Blackman keeps things intriguing, particularly on the aptly titled ‘Lust & Found’ on which she spurts out lines like “And what would our parents say / as this generations bleeds / they’d say I know what you love is / but it’s lost in a red, red sea” with a quiet vigour that is uniquely hers.

Blackman has made a brave record with Secrets & Lies, not by completely shedding her alt-rock persona but by adding another dimension to her sound. Her experimentation is not always successful, and the album does seem to lag in the second half, but she should be given credit for taking a risk with her sound, something which many more accomplished acts are reluctant (or too uninspired) to do. Nonetheless, Blackman seems more at home when rocking out than when she’s hiding behind a wall of electronica.

Dane Hodges
Available on import only; www.myspace.com/bertieblackman

‘Thump’

‘Heart’