Greyest love of all

It’s still early days for East of Eden, but the new album from Taken By Trees looks set to follow its 2007 predecessor unto QBiM’s year-end favourite albums list.  She may be best known as the female voice of Peter Bjorn & John’s “Young Folks” but Victoria Bergsman is quickly establishing herself as one of the most talented and versatile songwriters working today.

The short story is that Bergsman traveled to Pakistan to record East of Eden effectively distancing herself from her Swedish pop roots about as far as is possible.  The long story is that in exploring the musical traditions of qawwali with local musicians,  interpreting rather than mimicking, borrowing elements of rather than attempting an authentic take on the music, Bergsman and accompanist Andreas Söderström have made a remarkable album of depth and beauty.  Qawwali is devotional music, and Bergsman maintains a sense of reverence and devotion throughout the nine songs.  “Wapas Karna” could just be a field recording fromhe t National Geographic mini-documentary that was being filmed during recording, and disposable as it may feel, it nicely opens the door to Taken By Trees fantastic version of Animal Collective’s “My Girls” which undergoes gender reassignment to become “My Boys”.  Noah “Panda Bear” Lennox even pops up for a cameo on the languid “Anna”.  It’s playful elements like bringing Western indie music into the heart of Pakistan’s traditional world that make this LP more than just a cultural experiment.

East of Eden is strange fruit of a weird and wild variety, a veritable feast for the ears.  Far from being a train wreck clash of cultures, a Scandinavian pop songstress and Pakistani Sufi musicians have managed to make a genuine “indie world record” that builds bridges rather than borders.

MP3: Taken By Trees “My Boys”
Myspace: Taken By Trees

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