MUSIC REVIEW: El Perro Del Mar

El Perro Del Mar
From The Valley To The Stars
Control Group/Tcg

Sweden’s Sarah Assbring records under the moniker El Perro Del Mar and has gained a reputation for mixing the sweet sounds of 1960s girl group pop with a melancholy twist that’s all her own. Her sophomore effort From The Valley To The Stars finds the singer/songwriter expanding on her musical palette. Her song sketches are still drenched in sunny day sweetness but there’s even more to love this time around. What was merely lush before is now radiant. Assbring’s perfect pop voice glides easily through sugar-laced melodies backed by organs and more contemporary pop arrangements. “Do Not Despair” plays like a gospel piece filtered through The Ronettes while the mid-tempo “Somebody’s Baby” coos along like a wall of sound chart topper that would have blared out of a transistor radio.

–Amy Wagner

The Daily Shortlist April 15

Don’t Miss This Live One with the French Kicks
Photo Credit: Matthew Stinchcomb

Location: Lower East Side, NYC
Bands: French Kicks + Miguel Mendez
Show time: 9:30 PM
Venue: Mercury Lounge
Food: San Loco
Drink: Max Fish
Miscellaneous: Sugar Sweet Sunshine

On their recent album Swimming, the French Kicks blend garage rock, mod music, and pop among others to create beautiful songs. Live is where they shine. Let’s face it, San Loco does not serve the greatest Mexican food ever. But it certainly isn’t bad. The prices are inexpensive, you can get a heaping amount of nachos for as little as $3.75, and telling by the heavy traffic, the place is doing just fine. What I like about Max Fish is that it’s a local bar for local artists. It’s walls play host monthly for art exhibitions, there’s a pool table in the back, and drinks aren’t pricey, like many new bars springing up in this neighborhood. For one of the best cupcakes in the city, Sugar Sweet Sunshine has 10 varieties, on top of cakes. Try the Sexy Red Velvet or the Bob, a yellow cupcake with chocolate almond buttercream.