Dutro 93

Though the collection’s title might make you think of über-American author John Steinbeck, Swedish “Young Folks”/ex-Concretes crooner Victoria Bergsman, aka Taken By Trees, recorded her new album East Of Eden in Pakistan. Once you know that, of course, the title takes on different, non-Salinas, CA resonances. She traveled with an engineer and one musician Andreas Soderstrom, filling in the instrumentation via the help of regional Sufi musicians. (She wanted to work with local female players, but this proved impossible due to various cultural obstacles.) Bergsman says about half of East Of Eden was recorded outside with “the sounds of birds and insects and things.” She if you can pick any out on the lovely “Watch The Waves.”

• Taken By Trees – “Watch The Waves”Download

Here she talks to National Geographic about her travels.

You may remember Bergsman’s cover of “Sweet Child Of Mine” from last year. East Of Eden includes her hand-clapped, Eastern-tinged remake of Animal Collective’s “My Girls,” retitled “My Boys.” It takes on an different, earthier cast for musical as well as gender-specific and as geographic reasons.

East Of Eden is out 9/8 via Rough Trade. You can pre-order it here.

UPDATE: Memory Tapes put a spin on it:

• Taken By Trees – “Watch The Waves (Memory Tapes Version)”Download