Last Friday, we had the pleasure of seeing El Perro del Mar and Taken by Trees at the Brattle Theatre. Part of the excellent World Music/CRASHarts series, which continues tonight with Omara Portuondo, the show demonstrated the remarkable talents of two different but talented musicians.
Both "bands" are from Sweden and are essentially just singers: Taken by Trees is Victoria Bergsman's solo project and El Perro del Mar is Sarah Assbring. Both sing in English, though Bergsman treated the audience to a Swedish song, and El Perro del Mar is on Licking Fingers with Bergsman's other band, The Concretes.
Despite their many affinities, though, the women put on incredibly unique shows. El Perro del Mar began the evening with some upbeat pop tunes, dancing lyrically along with her laid-back guitar-based music. Accompanied only by guitar, bass, and drums (and the occasional shaker), she made cute banter throughout the show, pointing out the clock on the wall of the Brattle and encouraging the sedate audience to stand up. Her tunes aren't exactly dance music, but the smooth, engaging melodies were worth some swaying. El Perro del Mar says her latest album, Love Is Not Pop, was heavily influenced by Lou Reed, and you can hear the soaring chorus of "Satellite of Love" or wistful yearning of "Sweet Jane" in songs like "Gotta Get Smart" and "L Is for Love."
Her performance, backed by slowly shifting and strangely soothing solid colors (not to mention an always-on band), almost felt like a late evening at the sea: a mellow beginning, with gentle waves of pop sound, crescendoing through more upbeat, party-ready tunes, and mixing it up with a ballad or two and a few more heartwrenching tunes as the metaphorical evening pushed into the witching hours and toward sunrise. El Perro del Mar's spare voice wound through the band's deft melodies expertly. The polished performance made us want to buy the album—and head to the beach to enjoy it.
After El Perro del Mar's charming performance, the beginning of Taken by Trees' set felt a little jarring. The band—the same band that backed El Perro del Mar—came out to set up different instruments (notably a keyboard and marimba), then abandoned the stage as a video played on. The video is apparently part of Taken by Trees' documentary project for her latest album, East of Eden, which she recorded in Pakistan.
The transition from band to film was strange in itself, and the stage's emptiness loomed large, especially after El Perro del Mar's engaging show. But soon enough Taken by Trees "took" the stage, and brought a delicate musical sensibility to compliment the varied video backgrounds (the first, an overlay of white tigers and milk dripping from above, created an odd impression of lactating tigers that recurred throughout the evening). The many contrasts between image and sound were initially odd, but soon the media merged, sending an interesting message about the multifaceted role of music in varied situations.
Taken by Trees had a slightly more reserved stage presence, but made some cute comments, asking the audience what they did ("study" and "read" were the predominant responses, it being Cambridge and all), and even treating us to a song about her cat (accompanied, of course, by footage of the cat). The keyboard and marimba lent depth and warm tones to the band's sound, and Bergsman's voice glided across notes with grace. The band took on a slightly edgier tone behind Bergsman and in front of the ever-changing screen, which shifted through deserts and beaches, horses and drummers, creating visuals as varied as the music.
Overall, the El Perro del Mar / Taken by Trees combination was a remarkable one, with often beautiful and occasionally challenging relationships evolving between vocals, music, video, and even audience. The World Music/CRASHarts series continues tonight with Cuban vocalist and Buena Vista Social Club member Omara Portuondo, performing at the Sanders Theatre for her first Boston performance since 2000. The show is part of her Gracias Tour.
add to digg
add to stumble upon
add to reddit