The NewMusic First Spin: Taken By Trees
September 7th, 2009
Victoria Bergsman seems like she’s a lifetime removed from her former band, not simply three years. The former vocalist for The Concretes, Bergsman left behind their big, orchestral indie pop for a sound that was naked, minimal and intimate - an obvious statement that she was looking to do everything on her own.
She debuted her solo work as Taken By Trees a few months after leaving The Concretes, and a year later unveiled her first album. Produced by Björn Yttling (of Peter Bjorn & John, who she duetted with on their hit “Young Folks”), Open Field was a stunning piece of music that featured an array of instruments - vibes, mandolin, harmonium, zither, flutes and strings - that united to follow the soft touch of Bergsman’s gorgeously diffident voice.
Looking for new inspiration to help her make a second record, Bergsman grabbed multi-instrumentalist Andreas Söderström and left Sweden for the exotic land of Pakistan. Immediately it was “emotionally difficult to cope with the cultural differences” she said in a short documentary that was shot by National Geographic. However, after learning the traditions and gaining respect from not just the fellow musicians but also the men that surrounded her, Victoria soon found her supporting cast.
East of Eden is a rich, organic listening experience; you’d never guess that it was recorded with only two mics, one computer and a team of musicians who’d never seen a computer before, all during a series of rolling power outages. With a deep interest in Sufi music, Bergsman transcended into a sponge, absorbing all of the colourful sounds the culture had to offer.
“To Lose Someone” makes its introduction with a journeying blend of classical guitar, flutes and percussion, and single “Watch the Waves” keeps the instrumental mélange animated with polyrhythmic climbs and fluttering guitar work.
The hushed arrangements of both “Greyest Love Of All” and “Tidens Gang” sound like vehicles for Victoria to shine vocally. And then at the opposite end of the spectrum is “Wapas Karna.” Without any trace of Bergsman, the song allows the cast of musicians to show off their stuff, as a Pakastani vocalist takes the lead over a lone hand drum and organ.
What is sure to be one of the most talked about songs of the year is Bergsman’s rendition of Animal Collective’s “My Girls.” Altering the title, “My Boys” removes all of the band’s bubbling psychedelia, and strips it down to a crowded ensemble of vibes, polyrhythms, kalimba and organ, which capture the song’s abundant melodies in a whole new light.
East of Eden is one of the more rewarding albums of 2009. To learn more about the process of how it came together, you can watch the National Geographic doc with Victoria Bergsman in Pakistan by clicking here.
Listen to it here
Artist: Taken By Trees
Album:East of Eden
Release Date: September 8, 2009
Label: Rough Trade
Genre: Indie Rock
Author: Cam Lindsay
First Spin Live Until: September 15, 2009
Track Listing:
- To Lose Someone
- Anna
- Watch The Waves
- Greyest Love Of All
- Tidens Gang
- Wapas Karna
- My Boys
- Day By Day
- Bekannelse
Tags: first spin, Taken By Trees
Posted on Monday, September 7th, 2009 at 6:04 pm by Klye and is filed under The New Music.
