DOWNLOAD: Taken By Trees - Watch the Waves (MP3)

"On set with Cults at their video shoot. Video will be amazing." - The Willowz

Will McLaren w/ Cults @ Ridgwood Masonic Temple (more by Jessica Amaya)

Will McLaren, guitar player in Cults, is also a member of longer-running band The Willowz. Cults started out as as duo. Core Cults member Madeline Follin is the sister of Willowz member Richie James Follin. Core Cults member Brian Oblivion used to be the Willowz tour manager. Madeline met Brian through the Willowz and formed Cults. They then added Will Willowz (and others) to the live band. Quiz later. The two bands are touring France together in June.

The Willowz, who recently played a bunch of shows with Delta Spirit, have more recently been taking part in Hot Hot Heat's month-long residency at Public Assembly including the show that happened last night (a few people I know went and watched it after PiL played right next door). The next show is on May 26th.

Victoria B

Will, besides playing at the upcoming Cults dates (which include a Nortside Fest show and a tour with Maps & Atlases), will be joining Taken by Trees (aka Swedish songwriter Victoria Bergsman) at (Le) Poisson Rouge on Tuesday, May 25th. Other guest musicians at the gig will include Mikael Karlsson (who's worked with Lykke Li) on keyboards, Amy Linton from The Aislers Set on drums, and Elsa Chiao on backup vocals. We have a pair of tickets to give away to the show. Details are below.

Taken By Tree's Victoria is also DJing at the Bell House during Pop Fest this weekend.

Videos of the Willowz, all dates, and a live clip and short doc on Taken by Trees' record East of Eden, which came out last September, with the LPR show flyer, below...

Continue reading "Taken By Trees playing LPR after PopFest w/ Amy Linton & Will McLaren who is in The Willowz AND Cults (win tix)"

by Bill Pearis

DOWNLOAD: El Perro Del Mar - Change of Heart (Rakamonie Remix) (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Taken By Trees - Watch The Waves (MP3)

There's a double-dose of Swedes in town: El Perro Del Mar and Taken by Trees are playing together tonight (2/16) at Le Poisson Rouge and tomorrow (2/17) Knitting Factory and both have good, new-ish albums out. I loved El Perro Del Mar's debut EP but found her first album a bit drowning in dourness, as if it was an audition for Peter Gabriel or something. Her voice has a sad quality to it already, the music doesn't need to wallow too. Which is why I think last year's Love Is Not Pop works so much better. Working with the Balearic-loving guys of Studio, the record is both lighter and more mysterious-sounding, and some of it you could imagine being used in an '80s Michael Mann film.

The same could be said for Taken by Trees' second album, East of Eden, which was recorded in Pakistan (also with some Studio help) and is a little more rhythmic and engaging than Victoria Bergsman's first post-Concretes effort (which I also liked). I don't know if "fun" is the right word for it, but it's definitely more playful. And I think I might actually like "My Boys" better than Animal Collective's original. She also covered Guns n' Roses' "Sweet Child of Mine" which became a modest UK hit.

More hot Swedish action tonight (2/16) at The Filmore at Irving Plaza with The Soundtrack of Our Lives who are one of my favorite live bands of the last ten years. Their latest CD, the double-disc Communion, is jam-packed with power chords, acid-rock, trippy ballads and psychobabble lyrics. Sure it's an amalgam of every great rock band from '67 - '73, but they do it so well and are so much fun to watch (windmills, stick-twirls, etc) that originality doesn't even enter the picture. If you've never seen them live, you should really check them out tonight.

If you can't make it to Irving Plaza because, say, you're home watching LOST but are free later, TSOOL are playing an acoustic set later at the official afterparty at Norwood Club in Chelsea. It's open to the public -- just print out this flyer. Doors are at 9:30 and Scary Mansion and Nico Vega are also on the bill. I'd imagine TSOOL will go on pretty late (more details below).

TSOOL will also be playing Noise Pop in San Francisco on Feb. 27 and we're giving away tickets here. Videos, flyers and dates below...

Continue reading "El Perro Del Mar, Taken By Trees & The Soundtrack of our Lives are here (all with 2 shows) - updated 2010 dates, MP3s"

DOWNLOAD: Anna Ternheim - You Mean Nothing To Me Anymore (live)(MP3)
DOWNLOAD: El Perro Del Mar - Change of Heart (Rakamonie Remix) (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Taken By Trees - Watch The Waves (MP3)

Anna Ternheim @ Bowery Ballroom in October 2009 (more by Toby Tenenbaum)

El Perro del Mar will be joined on her previously-announced February dates by fellow Swede and singer Anna Ternheim and Taken by Trees, who is another one-woman Swede, Victoria Bergsman (formerly of Concretes).

UPDATE: Anna is not on this tour. She was originally, but has been replaced by Taken by Trees.

Taken by Trees released her new album, East Of Eden, via Rough Trade in September. Included on that album is a cover/interpretation of Animal Collective's "My Girls" called "My Boys". Check out the video for that song below. "Watch The Waves" is a free download above. Taken By Trees plays a pre-tour show at Union Hall in Brooklyn on February 13th. Tickets for that are on sale.

All three (Taken/Anna/Del Mar) Both (Taken/Del Mar) then play NYC on February 16th at (Le) Poisson Rouge (tickets on sale) and February 17th at Knitting Factory (tickets on sale).

For New Year's, Anna posted a free live version of her song "You Mean Nothing To Me Anymore" recorded at Södra Teatern in Stockholm, November 27th 2009. MP3 of that above. Video below.

Robyn, another female Swedish artist, recently completed her first remix of another artist. Robyn's remixer alias is Rakamonie (same name as her 2006 EP). Her remix subject is El Perro Del Mar. Grab "Change of Heart" above. All dates and stuff below...

Continue reading "Taken By Trees (Victoria Bergsman), Anna Ternheim & El Perro Del Mar - dates, Robyn remix, Animal Collective cover"

Taken by Trees in Scotland, May 23, 2008 (horsemeatpie)

Tickets go on sale Friday for an August 12th Taken By Trees show at Union Hall in Brooklyn. As you might remember, Taken by Trees is the solo project of Sweden's Victoria Bergsman of Concretes & "Young Folks" fame.

Taken By Trees in Other Music, NYC - Feb 21, 2008 (roboppy)

She was happy in her own way, shy and introspected, with the crowd and seemed like she gave us a last minute gift for how quiet we were for her. She whispered her guitarist and soon after he started playing their new song that has been hitting every blog around these days, her cover of Guns N' Roses's "Sweet Child of Mine". It was definitely the best moment of the show. [Curtains On @ Hiro Ballroom]

P.S. Watch video from Richard Hawley's show at Other Music below....

Continue reading "Taken by Trees played some shows (Other Music, Hiro)"

* KEXP is coming to NYC
* Taken by Trees covered 'Sweet Child O' Mine' (via)
* Atlas Sound came out, got "Best New Music"
* Britt Daniel (Spoon) remixed Feist & Interpol (MP3)
* "No Depression" To Shut Down After Next Issue
* Resonance Magazine is going out of business too
* TVT Records is also going out of business or something
* Remember when the Manics played for Castro?
* Sharon Jones sang for part of a song at Union Hall
* BAMfans Drink for Free After The National
* Hello Blue Roses played Glasslands Gallery
* Sam Means (Daily Show) interviewed John Darnielle (Mtn Goats)

DOWNLOAD: White Hinterland - Dreaming of the Plum Trees (MP3)

White Hinterland (aka Casey Dienel), not to be confused with Hinterland from Canada who has a new album out February 19th.), has a new album out on Dead Oceans on March 4th. That's an MP3 from it above. There's more streaming at MySpace, and there's a live show TONIGHT (Feb 8th) at Cake shop with Inlets, and with Angel Deradooran who sometimes plays with Inlets, and who is currently in Dirty Projectors. Then White Hinterland is going on tour with Taken By Trees (aka Victoria Bergsman from the Concretes), and that includes the show February 22nd at Hiro Ballroom which is on sale. All dates below....

Continue reading "White Hinterland (not Hinterland) - new CD, MP3, 2008 Tour Dates (tonight & w/ Taken By Trees)"

Vampire Weekend @ Other Music, NYC (Bao Nguyen)

Vampire Weekend (who are also playing in a store this Monday night) played Other Music during CMJ (pictured), and now you can watch it online. The Clean played Other Music too, and that is also up for viewing.

Toumani Diabate is on tour, playing Bowery Ballroom on January 31st, AND playing Other Music on January 30th.

Taken By Trees is going on tour, playing Hiro Ballroom on February 22nd, AND playing Other Music on Febuary 21st.

Black Lips are going on tour, playing Bowery Ballroom on March 10th, playing Music Hall on March 11th, AND playing Other Music on March 11th.

Blood on the Wall is playing Music Hall on February 22nd with Cause Co-Motion!, AND Other Music on February 20th. All tour dates below...

Continue reading "Toumani Diabete, Black Lips, Taken By Trees, Other Music, Blood on the Wall, 2008 Tour Dates"

DOWNLOAD: Taken By Trees - Lost and Found (MP3)

I was taken (aka they are really good) by a few Taken By Trees songs I heard when the album ("Open Field") first came out on Rough Trade (September 11th 2007). Then I totally forgot about it by accident. I didn't even realize at the time, (DUH) that the voice I was hearing was Victoria Bergsman of The Concretes and "Young Folks" fame. It's true she can come off a little icy in person (or is that a cultural thing?), but I'm excited nonetheless - for their first American show at the Zipper Theatre Hiro Ballroom in NYC on February 22nd is what I mean. Tickets go on sale Tuesday January 29th at noon. A video and all tour dates below....

Continue reading "Taken By Trees (Victoria Bergsman) Tour Dates, MP3, video"