Seeker Lover Keeper
Wild Seeds
Liberation Records
The initial Seeker Lover Keeper album from 2011 was the result of three friends coming together over the love of the YouTube video of Stevie Nicks singing Wild Heart backstage. Since that time, Sarah Blasko, Holly Throsby and Sally Seltmann have either written novels, made solo records and television scores, had children or relocated overseas, but have now returned their focus to their ‘side project’ for their sophomore album Wild Seeds.
Wanting to do things differently this time around, instead of each of the songwriters bringing finished songs to the group to flesh out, they met once a week in a rented studio to write the songs that would become Wild Seeds collaboratively. Superstar is the first song that they penned together and takes its place as the opening tune on the record. Seltmann offered the sparse piano structure and the trio worked on the melodies together. The upshot of this way of writing is that the harmonies are tighter than ever as all three of the singers take turns to steer the song forward.
Holly Throsby may have been making a splash as a novelist of late, but she shows that she is still a masterful songwriter with her fingerprints all over the album’s highlights I’m an Island and Let it Out. The songs’ fragility and honesty cut to the bone, and they are a clever reflection on relationships. Dear Nighttime channels the spirit of Prince with its laid back melody and delivery to add another flavour to the mix.
Seeker Lover Keeper recorded Wild Seeds quickly so as to retain the freshness of the songwriting and the arrangements. As a result, the vision of the record is singular with a strong tipping of the hat to sixties girl groups and Motown Records, with Beautiful Mind and the infectious pop of Two Dreamers being the culmination of all those elements.
The success of each member’s solo endeavours means that Seeker Lover Keeper outings are rare and brief, but again on Wild Seeds, the band are as good as the sum of its parts. With this trio, that is no mean feat.
CHRIS HAVERCROFT
