Bueno dicen que para saber si una canción es buena, la única forma de demostrarlo es escucharla en diferentes estilos musicales, bueno pues aquí cotorreando encontré este cover de la canción “My Boys” de Animal Collective, esta versión corre por parte de Taken By Trees el proyecto como solista de Victoria Bergsman, vocalista y fundadora de The Concretes, chequenla es tipo Folk pero la verdad tiene su onda y pues lo interesante es ver como una canción suena tan bien en otro estilo tan diferente .

From Victoria Bergsman (formerly of The Concretes but here as taken By Trees) comes this gorgeous, understated rendition of the classic bombastic Guns ‘n Roses ballad:

Your Thoughts?

Taken By Trees – East of Eden – released September 8, 2009 on Rough Trade

Clocking in at a short, but sweet thirty-two minutes, Taken By Trees’ new LP, East of Eden, is certainly not something to write off.  But you can’t really expect much less from Swedish singer-songwriter Victoria Bergsman.  Formerly the vocalist of the pop act, The Concretes, she has since been concentrating on her solo Taken By Trees moniker and gained some wide recognition through her guest vocals on Peter Bjorn and John’s “Young Folks”.  East of Eden is her second solo album and this time she draws from cross-cultural influences by recording in Pakistan, hence the title’s biblical reference.

“Anna” could easily be perceived as an automatic fan favorite because anything that falls even near Animal Collective’s unstoppable halo effect of success would be blasphemous to reject.  So this track featuring collaboration between Panda Bear (Animal Collective) and Victoria garners some increased attention.  Deservedly so too, because it seems as their chemistry are unanimously inspired to produce layered, ethereal qualities.  Bergsman seems to take an intermission from her some of her duties in the middle of the album.  In “Tidens Gang”, she sings in her natural Swedish tongue, in an absolute melodic, but downhearted tone.  “Wapas Karnas” follows as what seems to be a field recording of the music that she inhabited with during her time in Pakistan.  After that, you’re in for a surprise – another Animal Collective-related track.  This time it’s a reinterpretation of the hit “My Girls” into the tropical paradox that is “My Boys”.  Surprising that there would be a cover of an AnCo song considering there are only nine tracks on the album, but it’s a somewhat pleasing lighthearted alternative to the original, despite lacking lyrical appropriateness with style.  “Day By Day” plays in a celebratory religious fashion accompanied by repetitive hum-chants and tender vocals.  Bergsman drones off to conclude East of Eden in “Belkannelse”.

The album has a cohesive spiritual sound that will soothe and push listeners toward a lost, but reflective state, conjuring up a feeling of transcendence that is very difficult to achieve for a musician.  However, Bergsman seems to artificially incorporate the cultural influences of her Pakistani surroundings in one dedicated song (“Wapas Karnas”) rather then inject them directly into her own tracks’ rhythms and instrumentation.  Also, the album lacks a lyrical consistency of a specific theme, causing some contradictions with her metaphysical chords.  Overall, East of Eden is well produced by emphasizing its strength in complementary melodic layers in a short, but sweet compilation.

Rating: 7/10

East Of Eden, the second album from Taken By Trees, the solo project of Victoria Bergsman, may be a short album with 9 tracks clocking in just over 32 minutes, but it packs a pretty powerful wallop by its conclusion. The core material of the album was recorded over a six day period in Pakistan with the help of local musicians. It’s an almost perfectly conceived set of moody acoustic indie pop augmented, enhanced and sometimes transformed by the contributions of the musicians with which Bergsman collaborated. In the middle of the record Bergsman has also placed two non-English language tracks, one in Swedish and the other a Pakistani track called “Wapas Karna,” and follows those up with an inspired cover of the Animal Collective song “My Girls,” here entitled “My Boys.” It ends on a lovely note with the instrumental “Bekännelse,” which preserves the ambient noises of its original recording session, including what sounds like the shout of a child at the very beginning. East Of Eden will certainly take its place as one of the most memorable indie pop records of the year. Standout cuts: “To Lose Someone,” “Watch The Waves,” “Greyest Love Of All” and “My Boys.”

http://www.myspace.com/takenbytreesmusic

Taken By Trees
East Of Eden •••½
Rough Trade

According to the Bible, one famous region that lies east of Eden is the Land of Nod, a place to which former Concretes frontwoman Victoria Bergsman certainly ventured during the making of her second solo release as Taken By Trees. That’s not to say she dreamt it up – the use of Nod to mean sleep is apparently inherited from Gulliver’s Travels author Jonathan Swift – pertaining instead to the original, Hebrew-derived meaning of the expression; that is, a land of wanderers. Drawing on a deep appreciation of Sufi music, Bergsman was seized by the notion (perceived by many to be a crazy one) of travelling to Pakistan to record an album with local female musicians in a natural environment, so she and sound engineer Andreas Söderström packed a laptop and a pair of mics and set off on an unprecedented mission. The trouble is, there are decidedly few women in Lahore who can play at a professional level – many Pakistani women are simply not given the chance – and Bergsman’s original plan was thwarted right from the outset. Faced with an extreme culture clash in which she had to fight to be taken seriously as a musician, as well as having to pretend to be Söderström’s wife to preserve her own safety, the project turned out to be a challenge even she had never dreamt of.

While most commentators have predictably focused on the influence of Pakistan’s most iconic musical export, Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, it’s important to recognise the clout of Sufi music’s grande dame, Abida Parveen, on East Of Eden. A pioneering, classically-influenced vocalist, she shattered the mould for Sufi women as someone who dared to break into the traditionally male domain of qawwali singing (though not, it has to be said, entirely), and Bergsman duly credits her as a favourite. Bergsman, of course, isn’t attempting to do the same here – the songs are all in English and Swedish, except ‘Wapas Karna’, a beautifully captured, vibrant field recording of a young boy ululating about his mother over hand percussion and a wheezing harmonium. Indeed, the most obvious talking point is East Of Eden’s audacious cover of Animal Collective’s ‘My Girls’. Realigned as ‘My Boys’, Bergsman reinvents the original’s danceable psychedelia as a polyrhythmic carousel of handclaps, kalimba and harmonium that could start a very different kind of party. Elsewhere, (now ex-)Animal Collective member Noah Lennox adds his backing vocals to a choir of Pakistani singers on the otherwise plaintive, guitar-led ‘Anna’, a thoroughly enriching display of seamless cultural blending.

Considering the problems that beset the making of the project, so much of East Of Eden effortlessly glides like a glorious shaheen on the wing that it’s easy to lose focus and simply relax into the flutes and gentle flow of songs like ‘Greyest Love Of All’ and ‘Tidens Gång’. ‘Watch The Waves’ is less hazy but still nothing short of hypnotic, again drawing on deftly overlaid percussion to create an emotionally resonant piece, as if propelled only by the lunar pull on the tide; a perfect attraction. Another highlight is the eerie closer ‘Bekännelse’, which given its translated title of ‘Confession’ is understandably religious sounding. Based on a poem by German writer Herman Hesse, the music was improvised on the spot with the low hum of the harmonium taking centre stage, even over Bergsman’s muted sung recitation, and departs on a spiritually awakening note that’s hard to forget once tuned into.

It’s easy to be impressed by the fact that East Of Eden even exists, and Bergsman’s sheer bloody-mindedness to see the project through to completion against the odds should inspire other musicians to perhaps broaden their horizons a little. It’s just a shame that, for all the bewildering and sometimes alarming encounters Bergsman had while in Pakistan, there’s little expression of anything more worrisome than a slight, indefinite perplexion. Nevertheless, the experience is something that’s bound to impress upon the rest of her work. It may take years to wholly manifest but we haven’t heard the last of Bergsman’s incredible journey.

Alan Pedder
UK release date: 07/09/09; www.myspace.com/takenbytrees

FREE MP3: Taken By Trees, ‘Watch The Waves’

O segundo disco do Taken by trees, projeto solo da Victoria Bergsman (ex vocal do the concrets) foi lançado em agora em setembro com faixas bem “ecléticas” ( se é que se pode definir assim). As musicas lembram bastante artistas como CocoRosie, Cat Power e Lukke Li, tanto no vocal quando nas melodias, que em algumas faixas nos levam para uma viagem sonora por diversas culturas (tipo a africana, indiana e européia) o disco é bem bonitinho e tranqüilo (meio som de meninas sabe?) e por mais que se assemelhe com todas estas grandes artistas ainda sim consegue ter um identidade própria e bem legal, nada de muito original, mas para quem gosta de vocal feminino é uma ótima pedida, gentão , põe no set list.

baixa ai ó: http://rapidshare.com/files/272012107/TBT_-_EOE.rar

You probably heard her before in Peter Bjorn & John’s whistle tune, Young Folks.  Swedish singer Victoria Bergsman (singer of The Concretes, and her solo project Taken by Trees) covers the Animal Collective hit song, My Girls.  Check out more of  her solo work! http://www.myspace.com/takenbytreesmusic

Chances are you’ve heard her youthful guest vocals on PB&J’s “Young Folks” record, or her wonderful former band, The Concretes.  These days she’s been working on her solo project, Taken By Trees.  The second LP recently came out called ‘East of Eden’ and it’s spiritual and geographically influenced (Pakistan), making for a very cohesive and consistent album (also features a Panda Bear collab for you fanatics).  Included in this post is New Order’s video for “Temptation” which stars the Swedish lady herself…it’s widely known as “Temptation of Victoria” for a reason.

Nu har jag landat efter gårdagens dansk-norska djupdykning. I efterhand verkar det som att jag tokhyllade Aqua som band, vilket inte riktigt var fallet. Men som ett kliv på vägen mot att bli en tolerantare människa tänker jag acceptera att Back in the 80’s minsann når upp till betyget två (av fem).

Vem som däremot bör hyllas, helt förbehållslöst, är Victoria Bergsman a.k.a. Taken by Trees. De österländska influenserna på nya skivan East of Eden är smått magiska. Lyssna på skivan via Spotify genom att klicka HÄR. Återvänd gärna till favoritspåret Greyest love of all både en och tolv gånger innen ni lägger er ikväll.

Umeå, min hemvist sedan sex år tillbaka, blev idag utsedd till Europas kulturhuvudstad 2014. Visserligen fylls jag med en stolthet, men inte i lika hög grad som de infödda Umeåbor som jag träffat på under dagen. Men med tanke på att Piteås chanser att bli kulturhuvudstad under min livstid är lika med noll är detta gott nog.

*****

Vad ska man kalla en fotoblogg? Jag har försökt komma på såväl finurliga som funktionella namn utan att hitta rätt. Det ska gärna ha en liten koppling till Kulturkonsument och det “bästa” jag kunde komma på var Fotokonsument. Men det är inte fråga om att konsumera, snarare producera så det namnet åkte i papperskorgen. Kulturproducent låter för pretentiöst, Fotoproducent för proffsigt…

…ja det var dagens i-landsproblem.

Nick: It’s very… nice.

it’s a bit… I mean, it’s nicely written, arranged and performed and very pleasant to listen to.

but it’s a bit precious, it’s the voice.

I would eh…

if this were a book it would be, very well written ‘chick-lit’.

who’s your favorite ‘chick-lit’ author?

ha, I don’t know any, I try not to read the stuff.

don’t get me wrong, lot’s of it is beautifully written, it just makes me sick.

it’s almost too pretty.

the main problem is there’s no contrast, sweet sweet sweet all the way through.

it’s like….ickkkg sickeningly sweet.

do you think she shoulda got Tom Waits in for some backing vocals, maybe a rap by Ol’ Dirty Bastard?

well, it needs something less sugary, anything.

{record ends}

oh is that it?

uh-huh, short and sweet, yeah?

heh, not short enough.

I hate to say that you know, because it’s very nice, beautiful voice and all that but it’s too much, after the third song it’s dripping with honey.

you start to gag on it.

does she have pig-tails? wearing a little gingham dress festooned with little yellow roses?

I could cope with one song a week, maybe.

I like to listen to this when I’m in the gym pumping iron. Victoria Bergsman has a new record out on September 7th on Rough Trade. Watch a ‘mini-documentary’ about the making of it here.

http://www.myspace.com/takenbytreesmusic

Once again I swipe something my friend Kristen got to first. Luckily, she has pretty great taste.

Yesterday, as I was winding down another day at the office, I gave a listen to Taken by Trees, Victoria Bergsman’s solo project. You may know her from The Concretes, a band she used to front. Thus, you may have been charmed by the music video for “The Chosen One” or the song “Say Something New,” which was used in a Target ad.

If not, assuredly you heard “Young Folks,” the juggernaut of a song she sang with Peter, Bjorn, and John.

Well, apparently she’s been working on her own for a little while, under a name that brings to mind the theatrical, literary, gender-ambiguous monikers of St. Vincent and Bat for Lashes (if not also the artists’ sweeping, meticulously crafted sonic landscapes). East of Eden, Bergsman’s second album as Taken by Trees comes out later this month, but NPR has it available to listen now.

She recorded this album in Pakistan with producer Andreas Soderstrom (where, at the risk of gawking like an ugly American, they had to pretend to be married). I wonder what relationship Sweden and Pakistan have with one another (if any), what the album title may mean sociopolitically, or what interest Bergsman had in recording there apart from her love of Sufi music. For a more vigorous critique of these issues in the album, I’ll point you toward Michael Cramer’s Dusted review.

That said, I do feel they did a good job incorporating Middle Eastern instrumentation without appropriating or essentializing it. The result is a dreamy song cycle that’s great for the change of seasons.

Note also her cover of Animal Collective’s “My Girls,” which she changes to “My Boys.” (Side note: Listen for AC’s Noah Lennox, aka Panda Bear, who provides backing vocals on “Anna”). Bergsman also subs out lyrics about living “with a little girl and by my spouse” to “with a little cat and by my spouse.” Purr. If I had known about it earlier, I would’ve brought it up in my post on cover songs, along with her cover of “Sweet Child O’ Mine.”

I was in Carls Jr the other day at about closing time. It was quiet so the crew put on a CD. GnR’s Appetite for Destruction was playing and it wouldn’t be complete to put on that record without blasting the legendary Sweet Child O’ Mine.

So I was thinking, 22 years old, and that record still speaks to souls. If I could ever make a record like that, I’d die a million happy deaths.

So in the spirit of Axl Rose, here’s my favourite cover of the song that we have all grown to love/hate. The blue-eyed vocals of Taken by Trees, does well to delicately channel the emotions that Axl wanted to tell but could never find the voice to do so.

Taken By Trees
‘Watch The Waves’

Putting Victoria Bergsman’s past life as stylishly coiffed frontwoman of The Concretes even more firmly behind her – hipsters now go into  salons to ask for “a Milberg” rather than “a Bergsman” – East Of Eden, her second album as Taken By Trees, finds our soft-voiced heroine growing out her hair and switching the fresh Swedish air for the dusty streets of Pakistan. In a mini documentary for National Geographic, Victoria reveals that she was in constant shock from day one to the day she left, from seeing dead bodies in the street to dealing with the ways in which she was required to behave as a woman. The album was recorded with local musicians using two microphones and a laptop, half outdoors and half indoors, but nowhere near a studio. It wasn’t always easy, she admits: ”I don’t think I was prepared enough, and I don’t think you can be prepared enough, for what I experienced. Very emotional and everything in your face constantly, but I do not regret that I went there and what I experienced and what I’ve seen.” Watch the full 11-minute film here.

Preview track ‘Watch The Waves’ gives a taster of what to expect from the album musically. A very crisp, percussive rhythm drives the song, and for all its organic origins it sounds beautifully sophisticated. The trills of flute and distant choral backing vocals are lovely touches, and Victoria’s trademark sigh-singing style works surprisingly well with the busy arrangements. East Of Eden is released on September 7th through Rough Trade Records. MP3 after the jump.

FREE MP3: Taken By Trees, ‘Watch The Waves’

visit Victoria on Myspace

I don’t know why I got this CD in the mail a few days ago because, according to Air Waves’ MySpace page, it came out in March of 2008 and is apparently sold out. Perhaps the blue cover, as opposed to the yellow sleeve I’ve seen around, indicates a rerelease? A pressing mistake? Or was this just clogged up in the mail for a year-and-change?

Ambitious new Taken By Trees album recorded in Pakistan

Posting last Friday’s free Milberg MP3 got us wondering what her former bandmate Victoria Bergsman was up to these days. Surely a follow-up to 2007’s Open Field (her debut solo album under the name of Taken By Trees) was in the works? Well, good news, it’s finished and will be released via Rough Trade Records on September 7th. Described as “the result of an extraordinarily adventurous recording process in Pakistan with local musicians”, East Of Eden finds Victoria taking inspiration from the husky-voiced ‘Queen of Sufi Music’ Abida Parveen, one of her favourite singers, and the legendary Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan in an ambitious attempt to create something far removed from the sparse and delicate, very Swedish Open Field, indulging her long held love of the rhythms, drums and flutes of Pakistani music.

The 9-track album will be accompanied with a short film that was shot while out in Pakistan, which should provide some fascinating insight into, as Rough Trade put it, “the bureaucracy, cultural differences and prejudices she had to overcome to see this project through”. Given that very few Western women have ever attempted to (let alone successfully) record in this region, East Of Eden will at the very least be a personal triumph for Victoria Bergsman. We can’t wait to hear it!

[artwork not currently available]

East Of Eden
01 To Lose Someone
02 Anna
03 Watch The Waves
04 Greyest Love Of All
05 Tidens Gång
06 Wapas Karna
07 My Boys
08 Day By Day
09 Bekännelse

Alan Pedder

Peter Bjorn and John son un grupo sueco de indie rock formado en Estocolmo en 1999.

A la fecha son conocidos por su sencillo de 2006 “Young Folks“, en el cual les acompaña Victoria Bergsman de The Concretes en las voces. Esta canción permaneció semanas en la lista top 40 de las listas británicas y fue nombrado el segundo mejor sencillo de 2006 según NME

Reminds me of childhood memories.

During the mid 80’s when most of us were still in diapers, a band called Guns N’ Roses hit the hard rock scene and changed the genre forever.

Two decades later, indie Swedish songstress Victoria Bergsman leaves the band The Concretes after 11 years. Many know her intoxicating voice from the Peter Bjorn and John song “Young Folks“

What do these two events have in common? In 1988, Gun N’ Roses lead singer Axl Rose wrote a song called “Sweet Child O Mine” for his girlfriend. This song became the band’s 3rd single and an instant hit. Over 20 years later, after leaving The Concretes, Bergsman forms a solo project called Taken By Trees.

Ladies and gentlemen, Sweet Child O Mine by Taken By Trees.

Taken By Trees – Sweet Child O Mine (Guns N Roses Cover) [iTunes]

I like music. I mostly like myself (except when I’m hungover). I like females (unless they don’t like beer or fun). Therefore, solely by association, I guess it makes sense that I am quick to fall for female rock starlets who share some of my own physical characteristics. Here are some examples (note: I had a nasty migraine today and my brain is mush as a result, so this is all just a giant excuse to not have to write much):

Name: Victoria Bergsman

Musical Projects: Taken by Trees (current), The Concretes (former singer)

Crushed on since: Fall 2004

Physical Traits She Shares with Me: Pale, skinny, dark brown hair, dark eyes, likes karate chops

BONUS INFO!: Bergsman writes really, really, really sad songs that make me like her solely for the fact that she might just need a giant hug and/or a non-abusive relationship, and perhaps I could provide such things…if I wasn’t a volatile, immature, single young male.

Name: Julie Budet

Musical Projects: Yelle (current)

Crushed on since: Summer 2008

Physical Traits She Shares with Me: Pale, skinny, dark brown hair, dark eyes, sponsored by Reebok

BONUS INFO!: Yelle is French, which turns her “up to 11″ for me, and she crafts insanely catchy electropop dance songs that I like to listen to on repeat while drinking, when my attention span is even shorter than normal.

Name: Justine Frischmann

Musical Projects: Elastica (former singer/guitarist), Suede (former guitarist)

Crushed on since: Spring 2008

Physical Traits She Shares with Me: Skinny, dark brown hair, dark eyes, pulls hair to cope with stress and/or migraines

BONUS INFO!: Frischmann wins points simply by being a key part of the mid-90’s Britpop movement with the highly underrated (at least in the US) Elastica. She also dated Damon Albarn of Blur. Unfortunately, I think she’s old now, so I guess I just have a crush on the past existence of someone I’ve never met. Makes me feel shallow/lonely/awesome/cold/confused/happy.

Name: Alice Glass

Musical Projects: Crystal Castles (current singer)

Crushed on since: Spring 2008

Physical Traits She Shares with Me: Pale, skinny, dark brown hair, dark eyes, enjoys black jackets, doesn’t get much sleep, dances awkwardly

BONUS INFO!: Glass has that batshit crazy appeal that usually leads to nothing but trouble. However, it’s still hilarious to think about, especially because in the end, being associated with her would probably end with bruises, debt, creative new dance moves, and a stint in rehab.

Name: Carrie Brownstein

Musical Projects: Sleater-Kinney (former lead guitar/backup singer)

Crushed on since: Summer 2005

Physical Traits She Shares with Me: Pale, skinny, dark brown hair, dark eyes, likes to high kick, and sometimes smiles

BONUS INFO!: Brownstein is an extremely skilled guitar player and soloist, and uses some fucking kickass effects for reverse delay guitar solos, etc., which I’m always a sucker for. Also, when she started to lend more lead vocals on Sleater-Kinney’s 2005 swan song, The Woods (my favorite album of 2005), I started to notice that she might have pulled her stylings from Elastica’s Justine Frischmann, who of course is also on this list. Also, Brownstein is fucking hilarious, has a noteworthy blog, and now has a mini webshow, ThunderAnt, with SNL cast member and former Trenchmouth drummer, Fred Armisen. Here’s a video from them:

The Swedish pop rock trio, Peter (no comma) Bjorn (no comma) and John, who gained sudden U.S. indie fame in the fall of 2006 with the persistently whistling “Young Folks”, are releasing the follow-up to Writer’s Block on March 30, 2009 in the UK (no US details yet). The album, Living Thing, includes “Nothing to Worry About”, which PB&J released as a free download through Kanye’s West blog, of all places. Kanye sure likes his CAPS and LOLing, and this has resulted in an internal battle with myself as to whether he’s being ironic or if he really does see the Interwebz through the eyes of a 13-year-old girl on AIM. Either way, I’m equally impressed.

The complete Living Thing tracklist is below, and the only reason I’m listing it is because I’ve noticed that it doesn’t contain “Hey (Shut the Fuck Up) Boy” CORRECTION: and it does include the track “Lay It Down (Hey Shut the Fuck Up, Boy)”, which they posted along with a web video (below) in mid-December. I like that song, and mostly because it has bad words. Well, I at least hope that it includes some form of Victoria Bergsman (former Concretes, now solo as Taken By Trees), who was featured on “Young Folks” and who I have a not-so-secret crush on.

1. The Feeling
2. It Don’t Move Me
3. Just the Past
4. Nothing to Worry About
5. I’m Losing My Mind
6. Living Thing
7. I Want You!
8. Lay It Down
9. Stay This Way
10. Blue Period Picasso
11. 4 out of 5
12. Last Night

our guest blogger this friday is tracyanne campbell from camera obscura. the scottish band will be stopping by singapore next week, playing at the esplanade on 29 october. we catch up with tracyanne, who shares a bit on a cover she’s planning to do:

my favourite song at the moment is called ‘one in a million’ by steve miller. it’s really beautiful. his voice is like honey in the sun and it totally melts my heart. the lyrics are quite simple and i guess
corny but it’s a great tune and the production is so good it really doesn’t matter. i wish i’d written it. in fact i’d love to do a cover version of it. i was recently in stockholm visiting my friend victoria (bergsman) from taken by trees and we were singing it in the flat and talked about recording it. watch this space…

mp3: steve miller band – one in a million

thanks tracyanne! looking forward to that cover!