El Perro Del Mar: Pale Fire

El Perro Del Mar: Pale Fire
The pages of music magazines are littered with female indie rock vocalists. From artists like Feist to Lyyke Li, listeners sure can not get enough of wispy-voiced ladies. El Perro Del Mar fits right into that mold. The Swedish songstress’ fifth studio album, Pale Fire mixes sensuality with unshakable calm resulting in an album that’s both listenable and forgettable.

Listening to El Perro Del Mar is a little like listen to SiriusXM’s chill channel. The tracks are so serene that they blend together into one sublime mixture. The mixture is so sublime that nothing differentiates itself. Its like listening to one, long meditation. The only times that El Perro Del Mar has moments of differentiation is when she seems to be channeling her fellow countrywoman, Lykke Li.

On the album’s second single “Hold Off The Dawn,” El Perro Del Mar takes on Lykke Li’s vocal style while maintaining chill production. The track starts with tribal drums and tonally manipulated guitars when the vocals come in. Once the drums come in in full, their shuffling rhythm reminds me of Peter, Bjorn, and John‘s “Young Folks” while some funky bass is laid over.

The album’s other single, “Walk On By” does not have the same indie rock pedigree to it. Its drum production has a grainy vinyl quality, similar to classic hip hop with vaguely tropical keyboards laid over it. The production suits El Perro Del Mar’s wispy voice but the track never builds into a solid chorus. Although synth horns give the track a memorable quality.

Unfortunately when your most memorable songs are the ones that sound like another artist, you have got a problem. While credit must be given for keeping a consistent tone throughout the album, the tone for the most part is grey. If you need to relax to music with little definition, than Pale Fire might be a good choice but for close listens, the album does not hold up.
Rating: 5.3/10
MP3: El Perro Del Mar “Hold Off the Dawn”
Buy: iTunes or Insound! vinyl