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- Date Released: April 22, 2008
- Genre: Rock/Pop
- Label: Licking Fingers
Swedish chanteuse offers another batch of spectral healing.
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We Say...
Midway through her hushed second album, El Perro del Mar’s sole member, Sarah Assbring, delivers what may be this record’s thesis: “This is the message that comes from above: ‘Do not despair, do not despair.’” This is a sincere — even optimistic — work: Gone is Assbring’s ear-bending device of crooning happy songs in a sad, shell-shocked voice. On much of From the Valley to the Stars, this Gothenburg, Sweden musician sings in a whisper that's even softer and distinctly less distressed than the one she employed on her comparatively lively 2006 debut. That disc’s girl-group inspirations are subtler this time, with results that are less indie-pop and closer to the adrift ambience of Brian Eno’s Another Green World. Organ sounds gently dominate, emphasizing a prayerfulness Brian Wilson would understand; they’re so minimal that on “Inner Island” the keyboard simply hums the same faint “ommmm” for the entire song as if in deep meditative chant.
Despite a bittersweet bounce that at times recalls fellow Gothenburg native Jens Lekman — particularly on the album’ atypically perky and most single-worthy cut “Somebody’s Baby” — From the Valley feels like a unified whole. Brief instrumentals like “Inside the Golden Egg” tie the album together, and the movement from the not-exactly-elated-but-at-least-expectant opening cut “Jubilee” to the nearly-folky closing “Your Name Is Neverending” is calming, reassuring. Cynics may dismiss El Perro del Mar’s latest as a New Age or Christian album, and they'd only be half-wrong. This soothing record aims to heal in its own winsome way. -
They Say...
There are singers who can put over a sad song, there are singers who project melancholy, and then there are those who seem possessed of an elemental darkness deep within their souls. Sarah Assbring of El Perro del Mar is one of these. On her previous singles and album (2006's self-titled affair), Assbring convincingly, crushingly bled sadness -- in the music and the words, but most of all in her fragile and haunted vocals. Even at her cheeriest, Assbring still sounds like someone just broke into her house, stole all of her Ronettes and Bridget Saint John records, broke them one by one, and then kicked her cat for good measure. At her bleakest, it's like the sun just burned itself out. From the opening chords of "Jubilee" (as played by a very churchy organ), From the Valley to the Stars casts a spell of abject despair that's hard to break. Songs might be embellished with jaunty piano lines, childlike flutes, angelic harmonies, and even the occasional drumbeat, but they mope and weep like the saddest, bluest doo wop you'd ever hear on a Swedish street corner ("How Did We Forget?"), the loneliest, loveliest tear-stained indie pop ("Into the Sunshine," "Someday I'll Understand [Love Will Be My Mirror"]), or the creepiest fuzzy felt folk (the title track, "Inner Island") around. Assbring handles the production chores with a gentle and caring touch, mostly forsaking the chamber pop sound she previously utilized for a sparser, more delicate sound, though she can still create miniature symphonies with ease when the song calls for it. With the production, the songs, and above all her amazing vocal persona, Assbring and El Perro del Mar create a world of their own here. It's not a world for everyone -- you need a hearty soul to survive -- but if you can hack it, From the Valley to the Stars is a fairly magical trip to the center of heartache.
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| 01. |  |
Jubilee |
2:12 |
|
| 02. | |
Glory To The World |
2:52 |
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| 03. | |
You Can't Steal A Gift |
2:33 |
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| 04. | |
How Did We Forget? |
3:09 |
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| 05. | |
Inside The Golden Egg |
1:46 |
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| 06. | |
To Give Love |
2:28 |
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| 07. | |
Inner Island |
4:39 |
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| 08. | |
Do Not Despair |
3:20 |
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| 09. | |
Somebody's Baby |
2:29 |
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| 10. | |
The Sun Is An Old Friend |
1:02 |
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| 11. | |
Happiness Won Me Over |
3:44 |
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| 12. | |
From The Valley To The Stars |
2:23 |
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| 13. | |
You Belong To The Sky Now |
1:38 |
|
| 14. | |
Into The Sunshine |
2:58 |
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| 15. | |
Someday I'll Understand (Love Will Be My Mirror) |
3:44 |
|
| 16. | |
Your Name Is Neverending |
2:08 |
|
16 Total Tracks, 43:05 Total Length
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Playlists If you like El Perro Del Mar, check out these member playlists
Credits
- Lisa Milberg - Artwork // El Perro del Mar - Producer // El Perro del Mar - Performer // Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra - Choir, Chorus // Björn Bohlin - Oboe // Charles Deramus - Double Bass // Lisa Ford - French Horn // Philip Granqvist - ? // Philip Granqvist - Mastering // Johanna Hedborg - Portrait Photography // Jesper Jarold - Bass // Jesper Jarold - Guitar (Electric) // Kristin Lidell - Trumpet // Björn Synneby - Sitar // Björn Synneby - Vocals // Nils Törnqvist - Drums
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