There's Another Perro del Mar

It's leaked. This time you don't even have to download the album for free on the Internet to see if you like it. El Perro del Mar's newest, From the Valley to the Stars, is available in its entirety on their MySpace, however the songs aren't available to download.

The album altogether has a very heavenly and airy feel to it. I can definitely see why later release dates were chosen for the States and the U.K. because a lot of the songs remind me of the summer-spring transition, when the sun is taking the skies back from snow in winter and rain in spring.

Female musicians generally annoy me, but Sarah Assbring pulls it off in a way that isn't obnoxious. Her voice is extremely delicate, and it sounds like if she pushed a little harder for stronger vocals, the song would break. "Somebody's Baby," is a pretty good example of her limits. It's a piano-led track that resembles the upbeat bounce of Motown in the late '60s with flicks of guitar here and there. For most of the song, it sounds like she is humming the verses and the gentle choruses are not much more passionate, but it's the kind of simple that I think people can appreciate.

El Perro del Mar moves in again on the retro feel with other songs such as "How Did We Forget." Marvin Gaye himself could have been backed up by the light piano and hints of a brass section in this track.

She's kind of like the softer female equivalent of fellow Swede Jens Lekman, whom I've heard she's friends with. They both have their own take on the light American groove of the 1960s and '70s.

From the Valley to the Stars is set to be released on April 22 in the United States, but has been out in Scandinavia for two days already.

Web: El Perro del Mar
Blog: A Journal from the Valley to the Stars