With a voice that wavers between Jane Birkin's and Neil Young's, Swede Sarah Assbring, or El Perro del Mar as she calls herself, writes of hope and loneliness, sometimes at the same time. Cleary influenced by Burt Bacharach and Phil Spector, El Perro del Mar sings a kind of indie doo wop, bringing together syllabic backing harmonies ("sha-la-la-la," "shooby doo-wop bah," and "be-bop a loo-lah" are some of the phrases she uses throughout the album), poppy melodies, simple vocal lines, acoustic guitars, and twinkling pianos on her self-titled full-length. But despite these brighter, happier elements that envelop her music, Assbring has a kind of despair in her voice that veils even the most cheerful of her songs in sadness. "It's All Good," in which she echoes variations of "it's all good, take a new road and never look back" throughout the entire piece, even in its optimism, conveys the sense that at one point things in fact were not good at all, even though they might be changing, and the breezy warmth of "God Knows (You Gotta Give to Get)" is more of a criticism of herself for "taking a lot without giving back" than advice regarding the benefits of altruism. More frequently, she doesn't even try to hide her melancholy in horns and major chords. "Party" is utterly depressing, as Assbring sings with hurt heavy in her voice, weighing it down so that she can hardly get her words out ("I don't want to stay at home/I just want to be a part of it") as her guitar drones on forlornly, and "This Loneliness," as the title implies, explores her own miserable solitude ("This loneliness ain't pretty no more/Loneliness, only taking a place of a friend"). The songs on El Perro del Mar hardly contain more than a few lines that are then repeated again and again, but this simplicity only adds to their poignancy, and how intimate and real they feel, and makes the album utterly impossible to ignore.
A contingent of conquering Swedes – actually, three extremely talented female singer-songwriters - came to San Francisco on Sunday night, and took over Bimbo’s 365 Club, the long-lived nightspot in the historic North Beach district. And boy, was I glad I was there to succumb, along with the rest of an enthusiastic audience.My original motivation to attend was a chance to see baby-voiced dance-
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I can't get enough of this album right now!!
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When you are feeling the first little nudge of a great big wave of depression, it's helpful to listen to a song like this. It addresses the appropriate subject matter, so you can identify with it -- but it's also peppy, so you can hum about it.
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In the beginning, I read _Nerve_ for the true-life, galvanic contributions of Lisa Crystal Carver, probably best known as zine editor of both _Dirt_ and _Rollerderby_. Carver's ripostes were meat-rich, heartful and intelligent, whether she was mooning over the entries for her "Date With Lisa" contest, with her boyfriend sitting next to her, or considering the effects of a manipulative, womaniz...
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A contingent of conquering Swedes – actually, three extremely talented female singer-songwriters - came to San Francisco on Sunday night, and took over Bimbo’s 365 Club, the long-lived nightspot in the historic North Beach district. And boy, was I glad I was there to succumb, along with the rest of an enthusiastic audience.My original motivation to attend was a chance to see baby-voiced dance-
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Some more swedish sadness... and loneliness... and a small dog by the sea...
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In the beginning, I read _Nerve_ for the true-life, galvanic contributions of Lisa Crystal Carver, probably best known as zine editor of both _Dirt_ and _Rollerderby_. Carver's ripostes were meat-rich, heartful and intelligent, whether she was mooning over the entries for her "Date With Lisa" contest, with her boyfriend sitting next to her, or considering the effects of a manipulative, womaniz...
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Film director Emily de Groot made this magnificent video
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I can't get enough of this album right now!!
More >
When you are feeling the first little nudge of a great big wave of depression, it's helpful to listen to a song like this. It addresses the appropriate subject matter, so you can identify with it -- but it's also peppy, so you can hum about it.
More >
Watch the full concert at baeblemusic.com Baeble Music filmed El Perro del Mar's performance at the Bowery Ballroom on May 10th. You can watch the entire concert if you visit their website. "Glory to the World", their latest single, is featured above.~~
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| Title | Lyrics | Buy |
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| 1 Candy |
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| 2 God Knows (You Gotta Give To Get) |
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| 3 Party |
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| 4 People |
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| 5 Dog |
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| 6 I Can't Talk About It |
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| 7 Coming Down The Hill |
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| 8 This Loneliness |
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| 9 It's All Good |
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| 10 Here Comes That Feeling |
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| 11 Shake It Off |
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Click to purchase…
© 2006-2009 Mog Inc. All Rights Reserved
 "El Perro del Mar")
