Staff Reviews

El Perro del Mar - KoKoro

Review by Bekki Bemrose

A finely-drawn treat»

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Written and produced by El Perro Del Mar and Jacob Haage, the 10 original songs of 'KoKoro' are her most ambitious and musically adventurous to date, yet no less emotionally direct, covering themes that speak to both big and small matters of the heart. With the state of the planet - musically, politically, environmentally - on her mind since the birth of her son, Assbring sees 'KoKoro' as not only an album but also as an aesthetic and political movement of sorts. With soundscapes that echo of Thailand, Sumatra, India, Ethiopia, and China, the orchestration of 'KoKoro' is unlike any of El Perro Del Mar's previous releases, a direction only hinted briefly on the 'Pale Fire' LP highlight 'I Was A Boy.' It features the Chinese string instrument Guzheng, the Japanese Shakuhachi flute, various other Asian flutes, Arabic strings, Dulcimer, and rhythms influenced by Ethiopian music. 'KoKoro' was inspired by legendary singers like Pakistan's great Sufi exponent Abida Parveen and Nahid Akhtar, India's Asha Bhosle, Ethiopia's Yeshimebet Dubale, Cambodia's Sinn Sisamouth, and South Korea's Kim Jung Mi, as well as Ethiopian musician Enimut Kindie, Javanese gamelan music, and Chinese guzheng music. The album was recorded with multi-instrumentalist Andreas Soderstrom, bassist Johan Berthling, drummer Mattias Bergqvist, who has collaborated with First Aid Kit, and wind multi-instrumentalist Per 'Rusktrask' Johansson, who has collaborated with Robyn, Jose Gonzalez, among many others.
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