Taken By Trees - Open Field

Man I love the voice of Victoria Bergsman. After her departure from the breezy pop of The Concretes, I was a little bit worried that I would never hear her distinctive whisper ever again. However, Peter Bjorn and John would simply have none of that, and her unmistakable voice has been breezing all over television and radio via the breakthrough hit "Young Folks." (By the way, I love the fact that PB&J has been nominated for an MTV award as Best New Artist ... THREE ALBUMS INTO THEIR CAREER!!!!! It's amazing how clueless mainstream media can be! But I digress...) Now, Victoria has embarked on a solo project, and under the moniker Taken By Trees, she has melancholied her way into my heart yet again. Right from the opening plunk of the acoustic guitar on "Tell Me," it's hard to believe that the savage beast would not be immediately soothed by her presence. The album is not deep, nor is it bombastic in any way. I just simply love how she uses subtlety to her vocal advantage, as opposed to the American Idolized throat gymnastics that many believe to be the key to a powerful voice. Her vocals are certainly the centerpiece of this release and they may not be in-your-face, but I find them to be amongst the most powerful female vocals I've ever heard. And just to throw a little curve ball at us, the title track is instrumental and it's an excellent example of why I love the boundary-less world of indie rock/ pop. The fact is, my grandmother would probably love this beautiful composition as much as I do. It's clear that Victoria is not out to win any competitions, but just to provide us with music that may appear to be effortless, but can still be remarkable and moving.

Video:
Lost and Found youtube

Her her music on myspace.
Purchase "Open Field" on Amazon.ca.