Lykke Li - Youth Novels (2008)

Lykke Li is Sweden's latest Pop export and she's gotten the inevitable comparisons to fellow Nordic Pop stars Robyn and Annie, but in truth, her style is miles different from those two. 22 years old she may be, but her music is far ahead of her years, even her arty cover photo sets her apart from those two.

Her debut "Youth novels" is produced by Björn Yttling of Peter Bjorn and John and Lasse Mårtén, it is rather experimental and dreamy, fitting her light airy vocals to a tee.

In an album awash in brilliance, standouts include "Dance dance dance" (tapped percussion and strummed percussion, a squidgy Sax solo building to a nice choir finale), the sunny "I'm good, I'm gone" (with a killer chorus and lovely keyboard flourishes), the acoustic/Pop "Let it fall", the lilting Jazz/Folk "Little Bit" (which wouldn't sound out of place on a Kings of Convenience CD), the stark yet astonishingly beautiful ballad "Hanging high", the acoustic spoken largely instrumental "This trumpet in my head" (of course daintily adorned with trumpet playing), the buzzing Björk-like "Complaint department", the hand clap-filled Jazzy/Synth number "Breaking it up", and the brooding, almost hymnal closing number "Window blues" (with haunting harmonies).

This album is incredibly clever pop music with a great attention to detail. If only all Pop music could be this intelligent. I think we'll be hearing a lot more of Ms. Li in the near future.

Cita: Amazon.com

1. Melodies & Desires
2. Dance, Dance, Dance
3. I'm Good, I'm Gone
4. Let It Fall
5. My Love
6. Tonight
7. Little Bit
8. Hanging High
9. This Trumpet in My Head
10. Complaint Department
11. Breaking It Up
12. Everybody But Me
13. Time Flies
14. Window Blues

http://lix.in/-439394