Quirky folk-pop all about 'heaven'
El Perro del Mar, otherwise known as Sarah Assbring, has an uncompromising attitude towards her records. While every other artist is making albums full of individually downloadable singles, she seems to be doing precisely the opposite. Not only is her second album an astonishing sixteen tracks long, but none of the songs really make sense on their own. Yes, each one is a song in its own right, unlike a traditional concept album, but it just doesn’t sound right out of context. The songs work together, blending into and playing off each other to perfection. And it’s addictive listening, so I wouldn’t be surprised if it turned up on an advert sooner or later either.
Opener ‘Jubilee’ is downright confusing. As sugar-sweet and away-with-the-fairies as any other track here, it begins with Kate Bush-esque ‘woo woo’s against a distinctive organ riff. And when exactly was the last time you heard a recorder as the main instrument in, well, anything? Quirky opening, quirky lyrics in ‘Glory To The World’, “Look at the clothes today/They sure cut funny shapes”. Cute phrasing combines with a really unusual yet accurate take on modern life. A couple of tracks in, you start to ‘get’ her style, and accept it.
I’ll admit to being a bit of a sceptic when it comes to ‘quirky’ solo female efforts. If it’s not manufactured, it’s a bit like watching several different Kate Bush tribute acts; all ‘unique’ make-up and dreamy lyrics, but without the class of the original. No, I won’t name names. But El Perro Del Mar is something different. She revels in the distinctive Swedish touch her music has, which sets her apart from any other female singer-songwriter on the market. It sounds different to the home-grown pop-rock we’re used to.
As far as lyrics go, what you see in the title is basically what you get, repeated, for a couple of minutes, over a Phil Spector wall of sound and harmonies. If you get easily bored without meaningful and deep lyrics, give this a miss. But I get the sense that this album is more about evoking emotions, the artist herself describes the theme (ah, so it is a concept album…) as “heaven”, which explains the Church-like overtures from the organs, and the floaty cloud-like vocals.
It really does defy description. Quiet yet bombastic, intellectual yet simple. If you simply have to put it in a box, folk-pop would probably be best. Oh, and El Perro del Mar actually translates from the Spanish as “Sea dog”. No, I have no idea either. Just smile, nod, and give it a listen… it just is.