Independent (label)
10 December 2020 (released)
03 March 2020
For decades to come, we will be unpacking the pervasive influence one enigmatic Blackstar had on the human race, particularly its artist sect. David Bowie's reach goes so far beyond the catchy songs and fashion statements, finding his place at the heart of artistic expression. His role as a generational soothsayer and archivist is unparalleled in our time.
Australian pop-electronica artist Amanda Easton begins and anchors her latest EP Polaroids & Postcards with a loving ode to the dear, departed Starman. The accomplished singer, who has made a career of backing some of the finest singers from down under, eulogizes Bowie with 'Man Who Fell to Earth'. The track is peppered with references to his songs and personas and outlines an artistic debt to the great man. The track kicks off with a glowing Portishead-like descending synth phrase but is quickly swept up by the momentum of a '90s-Bowie pace of electronica, circa the Earthling days. Easton pins her hopes and dreams on his daring iconoclastic choices, waxing poetic over his aura in the serious moonlight. A thousand-yard stare bridge, reminiscent of Everything But the Girl lets you space out and ponder what Bowie has meant to you in your life. The track stands as a very reverent tribute.
The album carries on with a dreamy brand of melancholic, trip-hop-tinged fare. The intimate love-drunk 'Eye to Eye' captures the twilight hours between just two. The single 'I Saw the Message' tells the story of suspicion in modern love with woozy keys and Easton's concerned coo. 'Letter to a Small Boy' treads into musical theatre territory with strings and a Julie Andrews sentimentality. The title track wistfully looks back through the trinkets from her journey so far and 'Rockabilly Blue' rounds out the album with a yearning love song with plenty of steaming synths and sputtering percussion.
Polaroids & Postcards takes the influence from trip-hop's '90s heyday and blends it with 2010's dream pop. Easton's vocals carry the charge in this glam-loving, hyper-romantic synth-pop record. Bowie's legacy is strong here.
