The Northern Light

Issue date: 4/8/08 Section: Music Reviews

Media Credit: Lykke Li; Label: EMI Sweden [Click to enlarge]

People who think they know a lot about music say that the best pop comes out of Sweden. Their defense comes from ABBA, The Cardigans, Peter Bjorn and John, and most recently, Lykke Li. New to the Swedish music scene, Lykke Li can only hope to hold up those high-quality pop music standards. Speaking of Peter Bjorn and John, Lykke Li's first album, "Youth Novels," was produced by Bjorn Yttling of PB&J fame.

"Youth Novels" lies on a steady bed of dream-pop with accents in other genres showing up from time to time. The opening track, "Melodies & Desires," spans nearly four minutes of soft, anticlimactic harmonies with Lykke Li giving instructions for some sort of guided meditation. This song describes where the narrator in the movie "Fight Club" probably should have been going during his own meditation sessions. "My Love," with its early-morning-sunrise guitars and retrofitted doo-wop, vividly scores something like a Michel Gondry scene. At less than three minutes long, "This Trumpet in My Head" comes dressed with Spanish guitars and an almost vocal trumpet to match, all while Lykke fearfully sings her mantra, "I can't get that trumpet out of my head." The bouncy "Little Bit" is an irresistible piece that's hard not to dance to, while "Window Blues" is a melancholy and haunting piece that successfully ends a pop album with minor notes. The former would fit nicely in a Spike Jonze feature-length film, while the latter features just enough magic and hope for a picture by Jean-Pierre Jeunet (director of "Amelie").

Lykke's singing sleepily ranges from timid to happy. Like most dream-pop singers, Lykke's voice stays high and floats just above the music. She seems to make it a point to sing in strong contrasts. While she comes off about as confident as a first kiss, she tends to lead the music, instead of following it as most of her contemporaries do; the light and airy feeling matches her voice perfectly. It was clearly composed for her specifically to sing to it. A bold Amy Winehouse or a sharp Gwen Stefani would have trouble not drowning it out.

As an album, "Youth Novels" is a masterful creation. Though the music is all clearly pop, it has no trouble with creative range or structure. The flow is seamless, yet the songs are separate. The production is unified, but the feeling is varied. If there are any complaints to be made about the music, it's that this album is clearly the first effort of a young singer. There could be more polishing in places, but this certainly doesn't kill the album. A more valid complaint, though, is that the album is really hard to find. A short EP is available on iTunes, but it's missing several songs that are featured on the LP. It's available for import, but after shipping, one would really wonder if the $35-$50 they spent on the CD was worth it. Considering what Lykke Li has to offer American audiences, that's really too bad.

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