Review: El Perro Del Mar - From The Valley To The Stars

Posted on 30 November 2008 | 1 Comment

Filed Under: Album Reviews, Pop

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Is this shit considered twee? Can anyone out there actually explain to me what that twee even means? Well, since no one answered I had to look it up. Evidently “twee” is a chiefly British word used to describe that which is “affectedly or excessively dainty, delicate, cute, or quaint.” So is the latest album from El Perro Del Mar, From The Valley To The Stars actually twee? Probably not, but now that some/none of that is cleared up, I guess we should move on to the record, right? Well, El Perro Del Mar is basically Sweden’s Sarah Assbring playing these highly orchestrated indie pop songs that have a certain bit of retro/doo wop (think Phil Spector girl-groups) flair to ‘em. Assbring’s flowery and layered vocals sound nice enough alongside the sounds of church organs, woodwinds, horns, pianos, and other such keyed instrumentation, but as pretty as it all is, there doesn’t seem to be all that much depth; at least from where I’m listening. Many of the songs come off as nothing more than repetitive fragments even if they are nice to listen to. From The Valley To The Stars is a mostly quiet album that remains so even when the pace quickens. All in all, it’s pleasant enough, but not really my thing.

MP3 | El Perro Del Mar – Somebody’s Baby From The Valley To The Stars
MP3 | El Perro Del Mar – Into The Sunshine From The Valley To The Stars