Rating: NN
If there’s an opening for a female version of José Gonzáles, former Concretes singer Victoria Bergsman would clearly like to be considered, and the Open Field debut from her new studio project, Taken by Trees, is a solid job application. Her relevant recent work experience includes being able to summon charmingly forlorn expressions on cue (excellent for luxury car and/or pricey perfume commercials) and her brilliantly bittersweet vocal delivery on Peter Bjorn and John’s catchy Young Folks, which helped make it a massive international hit.
Not coincidentally, duet partner Björn Yttling co-produced Open Field and co-wrote the title track, but those anticipating a Young Folks follow-up may be saddened to learn it’s an instrumental. The bland songwriting and monochromatic arrangements are even more disappointing they follow the “less is more” cliché to extremes, leading to a uniformly sombre tone. Don’t count on any flashes of sunshine imagine a more sullen Cat Power and take it down a notch.