Swedish chanteuse El Perro Del Mar (aka Sarah Assbring) took the Mercury Lounge stage last night with three dapper dudes, each seated and skinny-suited. She preferred standing, though, mostly with an acoustic around her neck and occasionally toe-tapping a tamborine placed foot-side, often the only percussion for her delicate, strummed sadness. Tough slot–rainy night and incongruously placed on a bill with buzz-bands Evangelicals (whom we love) and Annuals (ditto)– but there was no question whom the packed Lounge was there to see during her set.
The hypnotic El Perro Del Mar — a collection including previous singles, released this year in the States — is heavy on the heavy-hearted, using repeated lyrics, wafting background harmonies, and subtle instrumentation to let you know: She ain’t doing too well! On stage, that translated into sincere expressions, with furled brow and sad-puppy stare. Even Sarah’s sagging, swinging shoulders got in on the act! She is at one with her despondence.
But none of that is to downplay her Motown sounds, which inspired shimmying (shimmying!) among the gals front and center. “I Can’t Talk About It” and “God Knows (You Gotta Give To Get)” are what happens when a Swede spends a lot of time with her Smokey Robinson and Supremes records. Between the sad and the shimmy, everything about El Perro Del Mar clicks. Here a taste of her Sixties-girl-group-by-way-of-Scandinavia mania:
The set was her last on American soil for a spell, and the Mercury folks were good enough to let her come back for an encore. Good thing, too! El Perro’s dreamy take on VU’s “I Found A Reason” sent us home with a melancholic smile — and plenty Loaded.
SETLIST
01. “Candy”
02. “Dog”
03. “Party”
04. “I Can’t Talk About It”
05. “This Loneliness”
06. “People”
07. “God Knows (You Gotta Give To Get)”
08. “Hello Goodbye”
——————
09. “I Found A Reason”
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Man I love her! So jealous you saw her live, thanks for the report.
Was “God Knows (You Gotta Give to Get)” in a recent movie, or movie trailer, or commercial, or TV show? It sounds very familiar. This is really bugging me, so I hope someone can enlighten me. I’d never heard of El Perro del Mar until reading this S-gum post but when I heard the song, it was (as I said before) very, very familiar. Thanks!
I listened to “God Knows” and immediately ordered the s/t album and earlier singles collection from Amazon. I’m in love.
shimmying girl front and center? omg scott, thats ME!!!!!
totally loved the show, except the last 2 or 3 songs seemed a little off…. the one that was like “girl girl girl girl girl girl girl girl boy boy boy boy boy boy boy boy boy hello hello hello hello hello hello hello”?
my twee threshhold is remarkably high and even i could not tolerate that.
shimmying girl front and center? omg scott, thats ME!!!!!
totally loved the show, except the last 2 or 3 songs seemed a little off…. the one that was like “girl girl girl girl girl girl girl girl boy boy boy boy boy boy boy boy boy hello hello hello hello hello hello hello”?
my twee threshhold is remarkably high and even i could not tolerate that.
in all honesty, that “girl-boy-hello” song almost drove me insane, too. she really relies on (and assumes) the audience’s reading profundity into repitition. but the set was lovely — and that Velvet Underground cover saved the night!
oh, shirley — nice shimmy
I was there, mostly for Jaymay. It was pretty good, but I wasn’t bowled over. I liked the first few tunes, but with the increase in repetition of melody and lyrics she began to lose me.
I liked the Boy-Girl-Hello-Goodbye song. Thought it distilled all of pop music down to its heteronormative essence. I teared up a little as I shimmied.
heteronormative?
i just heard her on the radio, and I thought she was fantastic! I heard the hello goodbye one, I like repetitive, her voice is incredible! I’m gonna look for the album!