El Perro Del Mar and Taken By Trees let down their hair in L.A.

March 03, 2010, at the Troubadour

By Jamie Elizabeth Hall
Published: March 7th, 2010 | 2:00am

When it comes to women, hair can symbolize great change. And so it went when El Perro Del Mar and Taken By Trees rolled into town for a recent show at West Hollywood’s Troubadour. When Taken By Trees singer Victoria Bergsman took the stage to deliver a set of Pakistani-inspired songs that make up her latest album, East of Eden (Rough Trade), her new hairstyle (and new sound) made you almost forget she was the former singer of the Concretes.

Regardless, the backing video Bergsman brought to the stage managed to trump even her new schoolgirl bangs and long tresses. As cellos and flutes fluttered behind images of birds, bodies of water, skylights, and stairs, it became clear that Bergsman’s music and imagery ebbed and flowed — sometimes working together, while at other times one eclipsed the other entirely. Beyond beautiful, the film was a perfect backdrop for the singer’s new Rastafarian-meets-gypsy sound with the unlikely steel drum and xylophone giving Bergman’s lithe, impish voice (most known for its contributions to Peter Bjorn and John’s “Young Folks”) all the body it needed.

When the headlining El Perro Del Mar emerged, again, a style change was clear. While expecting the tongue-in-cheek beehive coif from several years (and albums) back, it was a shock to see front woman Sarah Assbring’s blond bob full and loose. And after she played just five measures, it was clear Assbring’s hair wasn’t the only thing that was different.

El Perro Del Mar’s new album, Love Is Not Pop (Control Group) is surprisingly, well, pop. On ‘80s–inspired tunes like “Let Me In, “L Is for Love,” and “I Gotta Get Smart,” Assbring manages to sound more like Pat Benatar or Aimee Mann circa her ‘Til Tuesday years. And, rather than busying her self with playing guitar or holding her hands, Assbring now does a whimsical sort of running man dance, her blond fluff and chandelier earrings flying.

Flanked by two new tunes, Assbring’s 2006 song “Party” fully illustrated the simplistic, tea party–sweet sound from yesteryear. Gone are the stark, sweet rhymes and big-eyed Edward Gorey girl-child — and in its place is a grownup. Assbring may look different and sound different but fortunately, she’s one of those people that can pull off anything — long, short … pop or folk; she’s just that good.

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El Perro Del Mar MySpace page

Taken By Trees MySpace page

Control Group Records

Rough Trade Records