Amanda Bloom

It is rare that the lyrics to a modern pop song are quoted amongst the likes of Einstein, Freud, and Nietzsche as being one of the greatest freethinking quotes of the last 2000 years. But a line out of Amanda Bloom's song Rosetta "An idea does not gain truth as it gains followers" has, much to her surprise, thrust her up amongst such respected luminaries.
In fact, on arriving in London after having finished recording her debut self-written album "The History of Things to Come" in the Middle East with Iraqi refugee producer Kassim Sabounchi, she discovered companies selling t-shirts with her lyrics on them and a fan who had even tattooed it on his body.
Classically trained on the piano from the age of 3, Australian Amanda Bloom's album is a stunning tapestry of classical, folk, circus and indie rock music that unravels it's epic beauty upon each listen.
Her style is hard to pin down but a good way to describe it would be a tea party in the 18th Century with Tori Amos, Cirque du Soleil, Yann Tiersen and Muse.
The songs are coloured by rainbows of strings, oboes, harpsichords, cellos and timpanis. Switching between the open-hearted balladry of 'Fallacy', with its tinkering motif and off beat rhythms, through to the orchestral splendour of 'Rosetta', an ode to truth inspired by the Rosetta Stone which features the guitar talents of Shimon Moore from 'The Sick Puppies'. Meanwhile, the poignant acoustic solitude of 'Beautiful Beautiful' showcases some stunning harmonies, Arabic Oud and is laced with a tempered flute melody in a momentous and spine-chilling lament to wasted love.
While recording with members from the Amman Symphony Orchestra, Amanda was invited to the Australian Embassy in Jordan to meet Rana Husseini, an award-winning journalist and human rights activist who has been instrumental to bringing the issue of honour crimes against women to public attention. As one of the verses in Amanda's song 'Magdalene' was written about the honour crimes that still occur across much of the Middle East and Africa, this was a thrilling experience.
This year she was commissioned by the German NGO GIZ in Cambodia to write 2 songs to inspire equality amongst the genders of the Cambodian people and the songs will feature as part of a National television campaign across Cambodia.
She is currently working on her second album in Cambodia which will include the single "All You Need" and is busy planning her first tour of Asia.



"Amanda Bloom's debut album is an ambitious tour de force for the singer/pianist. She's not afraid to use big gestures and more often than not it works.
The stunning opener Rosetta is Evanescence if they were brought up on Tori Amos gone baroque.
Fallacy is a sharp song; Bloom singing beautifully to a discordant piano backing. She's more than lived up to her grand ambitions.
The title song is another fine track, Bloom's vocal neatly framing a lovely melody. The music reflects the truly gorgeous cover art, yet another reason I prefer cds to downloads.
Her debut is an impressive achievement. " (Collected Sounds)



"An idea does not gain truth as it gains followers" -(Amanda Bloom.)
Rosetta is a metaphor for Truth. Inspired by the Rosetta Stone (AD 190, discovered 1899) the ancient artefact used as a translatory tool for Egyptian Heiroglyphics. The song implies that within each of us lies our own Rosetta Stone, our individual means to decipher life's mysteries and lessons independent of the collective. It is about the courage that is required in the pursuit of personal Truth in a world that renders heroic the fickle subscriber to mass opinion.
Magdalene is a cry for peace in a world where the idea of God is put before the reality of Man. It is not "anit-god". Rather it is about the hypocrisy of the religiously powerful, the danger of extreme thought in any form and of the terrifying implications of a scriptural literalistic approach to the holy texts in an age where the worlds superpowers now have nuclear weaponry.



Myspace Layouts - Image Hosting - Forums