Taken By Trees

Victoria Bergsman is incredibly cute. She is also the reason I began listening to the Concretes. Her voice is one of the reasons I loved them so much. So in 2006, when she left the band to pursue a solo career I wasn't really worried that it wouldn't work out for her. And while I love Maria Eriksson and Lisa Milberg, the Concretes are just not the same without Victoria.

Then, she did some vocals for that Peter Bjorn and John song that I can probably never listen to again. But then, finally, Victoria Bergsman became Taken by Trees. I spent plenty of time listening to her on her website and falling in love with "Too Young" which is just so achey and good. Then there was that really good remix of it, which made me fall more and more in love with that song. "Sunshine Lady" and "Cedar Trees" made me want to cry, but not in a really horrible way. And that pun in "Tell Me" always made me smile a little. Open Field was just pretty much amazing. Victoria was still using her perfect voice but sometimes this was sounding better than some of the stuff she had done with the Concretes. So, forever ago, I decided she was perfect and that I could listen to her all the time.


Recently, she went to Pakistan where she made her newest album, East of Eden. Before she actually released it though I spent a really long time streaming her song "My Boys" until it seemed like I'd been listening to that song forever. Really, I'd just been listening to it for days. It's a cover of that Animal Collective song "My Girls" which I remember everyone praising and totally loving. But I just haven't really been all that into Animal Collective since a couple of years ago, and I like this version better.

Anyway, now that the whole album is out, I'm stuck listening to it all the time, all the time. And I don't mean "stuck" in a bad way, but I really just can't stop! It was so perfect for those last few days before going on break. "To Lose Someone" is the perfect opener, and feels almost like everything is about to break. But it leads to the next song "Anna" which feels a little more hopeful, and which I know Jillian listened to on repeat for quite a long time. I can't help but love "Greyest Love of All" because it is so soft and achey, and I love songs like that. Then, there's "Tidens Gång" which is in Swedish! I love Swedish! It is very simple, and I think that makes sense because Bergsman has said before that she prefers to write in English because writing in Swedish is almost too real/scary. "Watch the Waves" is less soft and achey but still really nice. And while I'm not so in love with "Day by Day" or "Wapas Karna" I still like the way they fit into the album.

Basically, I am really pleased with this new Taken By Trees album and I wish I had Victoria Bergsman's voice. I listen to her when I'm falling asleep in my super cold room under tons of blankets. It's nice.

Love, María