Interlude: Tomorrow's Taken

It's kind of arbitrary whom we choose to listen to. I'm not talking about continued listening - that's more directly connected to the music at hand. But the act of deciding on a particular track in the midst of what can only be called saturation is often pretty random. That's unless, of course, everyone tells you to hear something. "Young Folks" would fit this mold, and I think most of us would say the hype was warranted. One of the song's many endearing elements is Victoria Bergsman's turn at vocals; her shy, slightly accented delivery is pretty emblematic of Swedish pop at its best. I decided to check out her band Taken By Trees at Other Music primarily because of that guest appearance.

After a shiver-filled wait outside, we were finally let in about twenty minutes past eight. Victoria was joined by a drummer, guitarist and keyboardist. (I could get a shot of her because of the position of a camera, but that means there should be a video up eventually.) As expected, the band played generally mellow pop music, but with just enough impact to keep me interested. There were some hiccups - apparently the band was missing equipment - but it was overall a pretty enjoyable performance. Victoria was characteristically introverted, at one point saying that she was nervous, but her vocals were fine.


As is unfortunately the case with in-stores, it was a short set. But the final song, a cover of Guns n' Roses' "Sweet Child O' Mine," made it all worthwhile. A four-piece harmony was a nice feature, and the drumming really brought some gratifying energy to the room. It's a shame that someone else's composition is probably Taken By Trees' most immediate track, but their version suggests that there's more to this band than what's expected. But the choice, as always, is up to you.


Taken By Trees plays at Hiro Ballroom tonight.

MP3: Taken By Trees - Sweet Child O' Mine
MP3: Taken By Trees - Lost and Found
MP3: Peter Bjorn and John - Young Folks (Beyond The Wizard's Sleeve Reanimation)
MySpace: Taken By Trees
Official Site: Taken By Trees