New El Perro del Mar LP

And by LP, we really mean long-player. From the Valley to the Stars is lengthy! Sixteen tracks!

BBBD predicts that -- with "heavy hitter," "indie divas" like Feist, Jenny Lewis, and Joanna Newsom in between albums -- 2008 will be the year that Swedish singer/songwriters make it big. Lykke Li, with her stripped-down soul/R&B tunes is already proving this to be the case, and El Perro del Mar (MySpace) is only showing this to be much more than a passing trend.

El Perro del Mar's follow-up to her eponymous U.S. debut is quite the stunning record. More refined and varied but still just as focused on the Gothenburg native's angelic, floaty vocals talents, From the Valley to the Stars will warm your heart and put you in a good place; a humble, if not mildly depressing spot. Here's what she's got to say on it:

I wanted to make something as unfashionable as an album in the classic sense of the word - in terms of its composition and the idea of a theme. The theme itself was initially something as simple yet complex as heaven and it led me into a wide and seemingly endless search for a means, a language in which to express myself. Although during this time I was, even though I mostly didn't realize it, following a certain train of thought - that of love, grief and loss, solace and hope, deepest despair and wildest childish euphoria - to the lowest and the highest of heights.

The record's out on April 22 on The Control Group in the States.

Last thing -- doesn't "Somebody's Baby" remind you of a certain Jens Lekman song? They're meant to be ...

El Perro del Mar - Somebody's Baby

El Perro del Mar - To Give Love