On her debut album, Sydney singer-songwriter Sarah Blasko makes it clear she will not be concerned with trivial lyrical subject matter, framing The Overture & the Underscore around themes of understanding life and balancing out the good and the bad. Blasko made her recorded debut under her own name several years earlier, releasing the electronic-tinged Prelusive EP in 2002, a record built around keyboards and drum machines. Fast forward to 2004 and the singer had begun moving in a more organic direction, with The Overture & the Underscore representing the sonic bridge between the two worlds—witness the infusion of drum loops into the alternative indie pop of “Don’t U Eva.” Co-writing with Robert F. Cranny (Ben Salter, Gersey), and recording in Los Angeles with Wally Gagel (Eels), Blasko swapped out the drum machines of her past for live musicians such as acclaimed drummer Joey Waronker (Beck, The Smashing Pumpkins), ushering in warm acoustic pop on “Always Worth It.” Future albums would see her taking more chances musically, but The Overture & the Underscore remains a landmark debut.