On my last Monday in London (for the time being), I had a very spiritual experience. I went to see Taken by Trees at the Relentless Garage, and was treated to an absolutely amazing show. Out of Sweden, this is an artist that is highly influenced by Middle Eastern music. There is a very logical reason for this, however. Her most recent album, East of Eden, was recorded in Pakistan, allowing her to experience the harsh realities of life in the Middle East first hand.

In order to share the experiences with her audience, there was a short film shown before the band came on stage. Footage taken while she worked on her album was shown, including a shot of a ritualistic self-mutilation that lead singer, Victoria Bergsman, was not supposed to see. The video was eye-opening.

After the film ended, the band opened their set with Anna, which was played beautifully. Every song they played was flawless. No missed notes, no cracked voices. It was nice to see a band use bongos, flutes, melodicas, and the xylophopne to the extent of Taken by Trees.

My favorite song of the evening was “My Boys”, a cover/interpretation of the Animal Collective song, “My Girls”. It was a great change of pace from the slower number that fill East of Eden.

Here’s a live track I found from the gig. I think you can tell from this song just how brilliant the band was.