El Perro Del Mar, Lykke Li preview
El Perro Del Mar, Lykke Li
Schubas, Chicago
Monday, May 12, 2008
Sarah Assbring, who is El Perro Del Mar, must record while lying on her back and gazing opaquely into the night sky. The hint is the crickets.
Whether the din of insectival mating calls will accompany her performance Monday (as they do on “Inner Island”) will depend on how willing her audience is to participate, because she’s not the type to invite someone in. El Perro Del Mar has come to symbolize recalcitrant shyness, a delicately forlorn demeanor that nearly stops this spring’s The Valley Of The Stars (Control Group) in its tracks. Assbring can be relied upon for a doe-eyed Tin Pan Alley homage (“Somebody’s Baby” here), but, while she’s aesthetically distant from the brooding acoustics of Nick Drake or José González, her overall eerieness can be overwhelming. It’s like trying to enjoy someone’s company while they stare right through you.
Fellow Swede Lykki Li fits almost too neatly on the bill, but the main difference between her and El Perro is the palpable energy on her Little Bit EP. Affecting a similarly breathy coo, Li isn’t afraid to sound detached even as she openly confuses sex and love on the title track. “Dance, Dance, Dance” would have been perfect for Amelie to bounce around to, while the pounding “Everybody But Me” boldly underscores her slight voice against the billowing swell of harmonium and an insistant kick drum.
And what’s this? Another Swede? Opener Anna Ternheim is also the bill’s most accessible entry. Her full-length Stateside debut, Halfway To Fivepoints (Decca), charmingly strums its way into line with Emma Pollack and Beth Orton — entirely appropriate given the blanket of storm clouds threatening the album cover. While last year’s covers EP failed to impart anything other than standard coffeehouse fare, Fivepoints basks in its homespun arrangements and hints at loneliness without being dour.
— Steve Forstneger
Click here to watch El Perro Del Mar’s “Glory To The World.”
Click here to watch Lykke Li’s “Little Bit.”
Click here to watch Anna Ternheim’s “Lovers Dream.”
Category: Stage Buzz, Weekly
