Kevin Bronson on February 10th, 2013

1

The allure of Amy Blaschke’s Americana is in the details – her fragile voice at once exuding strength and vulnerability, lyrical moments that work like weathered photographs, spare arrangements that let her songs breathe. Blaschke, a Seattle native who last released an album in 2007 (under the name Night Canopy), returns this month with “Desert Varnish,” recorded two years ago with collaborators Joshua Grange (guitar), Jebin Bruni (keyboards), Ian Walker (bass) and Steve Nistor (drums), all of whom boast impressive resumés, none of which stand in the way of Blaschke’s unspoken mantra that frequently understatement is the strongest statement of all. The album is out Feb. 19 via Bird on a Lyre Records.

||| Stream: “What I’m Asking Of”

||| Also: Stream all of “Desert Varnish” on Soundcloud.

||| Live: Amy Blaschke celebrates the release of “Desert Varnish” with a show Feb. 20 at the Standard Hollywood, where she will be joined by Brian Whelan and Joe Bourdet.