Album Review: El Perro Del Mar - Pale Fire

El Perro Del Mar
Pale Fire
Rating: Meh

Swedish singer/songwriter Sarah Assbring, who performs under the name El Perro Del Mar, releases her 5th album Pale Fire which is inspired by house music and trip-hop from the 90s. On paper it sounds like a match made in heaven, Assbring's breathy, coy vocals seemingly perfect for edgy electronics and slick grooves, but curiously it never seems to achieve lift off, never really moving from pretty to something more substantial. Unlike her compatriots, Assbring lacks the aggressiveness of Lykke Li, the oddness of Fever Ray, or the pop pixie charm of Robyn. The slim melodies, gossamer synths, and muted drum programming don't particularly help her cause, slipping in and out of the mix, creating a listening experience that is frustratingly opaque.

It is more frustrating when the album does get a bit of a pulse going, pointing out what the record could have been. Despite a very obvious sample from Massive Attack's "Unfinished Sympathy," "Walk On By" struts and preens through its trip-hop beats and canned synth horns,



"I Carry The Fire" is a stripped down house track with Assbring's vocals finally coming out of their slumber, while "Hold Off The Dawn" picks up the pace with an insistent beat and trance like synth effects.



But the majority of tracks just spin in a monotonous, ethereal realm, barely making any impression or mark on the listener. "Dark Night" is a meandering, almost instrumental, that pulses and pulses but never ignites, merely trailing off into the ether; title track "Pale Fire" is a drone of horn synths, twinkling keyboards, and Assbring's soporific vocals;



and the lazy, reggae lite of "Love In Vain" is just plain embarrassing.



Even when there is a little more edge to a track, like the dark "To The Beat Of A Dying World," the song just plods along aimlessly, never really being more than just atmosphere. And the lullaby "I Was A Boy" is so slight, the vocals and music barely register.



Pale Fire is ultimately dissatisfying because all the elements are there for a really great record, but the elements only rarely come together to make anything memorable. It is never a good thing when you are listening to a record on headphones and there are many moments where your thoughts overcame the force of the music, rendering it superfluous. I wanted to like this record, and it certainly is pretty enough, but the lack of any true weight and heft to it makes me unable to recommend it very highly.

Rating Scale:

Chilfos: masterpiece; coolest thing I've heard in ages.

Woof Daddy: excellent; just a hair away from being a masterpiece.

Grrrr: very good; will definitely be considered for my top releases of the year.

Yeah Daddy Make Me Want It: good; definitely invites further listens and piques one's interest for more material.

Meh: not horrible, but certainly not great; could have either been polished, trimmed, or re-thought.

Jeez Lady: what the hell happened? Just plain bad. They should hang their heads in shame and be forced to listen to Lady Gaga ad nauseam as penance.

Tragicistani: so bad, armed villagers with pitchforks and torches should run the artist out of the country for inflicting this abomination on the human race.