Once again I swipe something my friend Kristen got to first. Luckily, she has pretty great taste.
Yesterday, as I was winding down another day at the office, I gave a listen to Taken by Trees, Victoria Bergsman’s solo project. You may know her from The Concretes, a band she used to front. Thus, you may have been charmed by the music video for “The Chosen One” or the song “Say Something New,” which was used in a Target ad.
If not, assuredly you heard “Young Folks,” the juggernaut of a song she sang with Peter, Bjorn, and John.
Well, apparently she’s been working on her own for a little while, under a name that brings to mind the theatrical, literary, gender-ambiguous monikers of St. Vincent and Bat for Lashes (if not also the artists’ sweeping, meticulously crafted sonic landscapes). East of Eden, Bergsman’s second album as Taken by Trees comes out later this month, but NPR has it available to listen now.
She recorded this album in Pakistan with producer Andreas Soderstrom (where, at the risk of gawking like an ugly American, they had to pretend to be married). I wonder what relationship Sweden and Pakistan have with one another (if any), what the album title may mean sociopolitically, or what interest Bergsman had in recording there apart from her love of Sufi music. For a more vigorous critique of these issues in the album, I’ll point you toward Michael Cramer’s Dusted review.
That said, I do feel they did a good job incorporating Middle Eastern instrumentation without appropriating or essentializing it. The result is a dreamy song cycle that’s great for the change of seasons.
Note also her cover of Animal Collective’s “My Girls,” which she changes to “My Boys.” (Side note: Listen for AC’s Noah Lennox, aka Panda Bear, who provides backing vocals on “Anna”). Bergsman also subs out lyrics about living “with a little girl and by my spouse” to “with a little cat and by my spouse.” Purr. If I had known about it earlier, I would’ve brought it up in my post on cover songs, along with her cover of “Sweet Child O’ Mine.”
0 Responses to “Taken with Taken by Trees”