Archive for the ‘El Parro Del Mar’ Category
El Perro Del Mar – From the Valley to the Stars
El Perro Del Mar
Delicate. That’s the best way to describe “From the Valley to the Stars” by El Perro Del Mar…it’s soft, warm and delicate. Each song seems to dance on the lightest breeze, kept aloft by one of the most fragile voices in music. This album is like a lullaby.
I don’t know what it is with Swedish musicians but they have an uncanny ability to synthesis their influences into something wholly original. Like her fellow countrymen Pelle Carlberg and Jens Lekman, she gets early 60’s pop. Completely. The bright drumming, hand claps and gee-whiz harmonies are all there. Yet when it’s incorporated in the music, it never sounds like a throwback.
A lot has been written about her lyrics, which are often described as bleak. And yeah, her words can buckle knees, however, she sings them with such tenderness and beauty that the heartbreak isn’t always evident right away. Sometimes they are buried in the cheeriest of melodies.
There are instances where she treats her lyrics as a mantra. Repeating the same phrase again and again, allowing the instrumentation to weave in and out. The danger of this is that the songs could start sounding annoyingly repetitive. Yet she avoids this pitfall and the effect is stunning.
Each composition is meticulously put together without a superfluous instrument or note to be found. There’s a pervasive simplicity at work in every one of the 16 tracks. It allows breathing room and the space needed to hear each instrument being played and in this case…that’s a very good thing.
Some standouts on the album are the perky “Into the Sunshine” and the contemplative “Glory to the World”. Though it’s tough to single out any one track. There’s not a slouch to be found. I really can’t say enough about “From the Valley to the Stars”. It’s perfect listening for a chilled Sunday afternoon.
Into the Sunshine by El Perro Del Mar
Glory to the World by El Perro Del Mar
