El Perro Del Mar

Admittedly, I’m a little late jumping on this bandwagon but I’ve recently fallen hard for the music of El Perro Del Mar. Her music is sort of like a time warp into mid-60’s French pop…erm…only it’s not in French. El Perro Del Mar is actually Swedish chanteuse Sarah Assbring, and her self-titled debut is melancholic, sad and beautiful. She’s incorporated all of the techniques used on those 60’s records…handclaps, harmonic doo-wops, chiming guitar…but there’s also a slight electro-pop feel to this CD that keeps it sounding relatively modern. Apparently, Sarah is not a happy girl. It’s amazing how she can make lines like “There’s a party going on” sound so depressing. And you’re probably already familiar with “God Knows” which is an incredibly upbeat sounding song, although the lyrics suggest otherwise. “God knows I’ve been taking a lot without giving back” is just the type of self-evaluation that cascades throughout all of her lyrics. However, while this may not be a very encouraging album, it’s not simply a collection of mopers either. Instead of expressing endless “woe-is-me” sentiments, her music is done in a style that lets you know that she’s hurtin’ but she’s making the best of it. You can’t help but sorta feel for the girl.

El Perro Del Mar is going to be at The Mod Club on March 5.

Downloads:
God Knows (You’ve Got To Give To Get) mp3
Party mp3

El Perro Del Mar’s myspace.
Purchase the self-titled CD here.
And check out the animated video for “God Knows” over on youtube.
Photo is courtesy of Johanna Hedborg.