Jens Lekman
Nights falls over Kortedala
Service/Secretly Canadian

This must surely be one of the most eagerly awaited albums of the year, not just for me but for a lot of people out there. I was a little scared to listen to it at first, fearing that it wouldn't be as good as I've so intensely wanted it to be. At first I was a bit confused, I thought the album was too much about clever instrumentation and sampling, but then after a few proper listenings (i.e. not on the bus while reading the paper) the songs started to appear for me out of the hodgepodge of different sounds, and it all made sense. Most of the tracks on "Night falls..." are simply pretty (and quite bombastic) pop songs, despite all the odd samples, use of instruments etc. The thing that got me hooked on Jens Lekman was his fabulous and quirky lyrics, and the lyrics on this album are probably his best ever. Some of the choruses Lekman's penned for this album are simply stunning, his songwriting skills are just getting better and better. There are a couple of tracks that I'm not overly keen on, but then three or four songs on here are already classics, as far as I'm concerned, and the more I listen to the rest, the more the album seems like another Jens Lekman solid release that you'll love and treasure. Sweet, reliable and sure to pick you up, just like a good cup of coffee - Jens Lekman's back and he's still fantastic!
- Simon Tagestam

This week's top 20 Swedish album chart:

01. Jens Lekman - Night falls over Kortedala
02. Moneybrother - Mount pleasure
03. Povel Ramel - Karameller - Det bästa med Povel Ramel
04. Abalone Dots - From a safe distance
05. Roland Cedermark - Mirandas dröm
06. Timo Räisänen - Love will turn you around
07. Eva Dahlgren - En blekt blondins ballader
08. Sahara Hotnights - What if leaving is a loving thing
09. Sonja Aldén - Till dig
10. Lasse Stefanz - Vagabond
11. Per Gessle - En händig man
12. Cajsastina Åkerström - Visor från förr & nu
14. Magnus Carlsson - Live forever - The album
15. Nils Landgren Funk Unit - Licence to funk
16. Torsson - Det fjärde bästa bandet i Lund
17. Lars Demian - Välkommen hit
18. Oh Laura - A song inside my head, a demon in my bed
19. Ted Gärdestad - För kärlekens skull - Det bästa med
20. The Ark - Prayer for the weekend

Jens Lekman keeps on adding tourdates, so check his website for the latest: http://www.jenslekman.com/shows.htm

This week's It's A Trap! Last.fm listening group top 10 artists of the week:

01. Jens Lekman
02. Shout Out Louds
03. Beirut
04. Interpol
05. The National
06. Modest Mouse
07. José González
08. Feist
09. The Shins
10. Sufjan Stevens

Do you listen to music on your computer or with an iPod? Join us! Go here to learn more: http://www.last.fm/help/

Jens Lekman's new video for "The opposite of hallelujah" is now online: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ahwZADY1urI

Pitchfork adores the new Jens Lekman album: http://www.pitchforkmedia.com/article/record_review/45319-night-falls-over-kortedala

Promenade Recordings will finally release part three of their food compilation series in November on CDR and this last one will include all tracks from the earlier (vinyl-only) comps. I don't have a full tracklist, but artists include Nixon, Jens Lekman, Action Biker, Robotboy and Blood Music.

This week's It's A Trap! Last.fm listening group top 10 artists of the week:

01. Jens Lekman
02. Interpol
03. Belle and Sebastian
04. Feist
05. Shout Out Louds
06. Death Cab for Cutie
07. José González
08. Modest Mouse
09. Rilo Kiley
10. The Shins

Do you listen to music on your computer or with an iPod? Join us! Go here to learn more: http://www.last.fm/help/

Jens Lekman will support Josh Rouse for some UK gigs beginning in late November:

11/29 - Plug, Sheffield
11/30 - Academy 2, Manchester
12/01 - Queen Margaret Union, Glasgow
12/03 - The Sage, Gateshead
12/04 - Rescue Rooms, Nottingham
12/05 - Academy, Bristol
12/07 - Academy, Oxford
12/08 - Concorde 2, Brighton
12/09 - Shepherd Bush Empire, London

Look for more headlining gigs as well as European dates to be announced shortly.

Service is now offering up Jens Lekman's "The opposite of hallelujah" officially as a free download: http://www.srvice.com/service/jens_lekman--the_opposite_of_hallelujah.mp3

Check out video footage of IAT favorite Viktor Sjöberg performing at Koloni in GBG on Monday: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=85blBBEmAN4
Be sure to check him out when he closes the show on the upcoming Jens Lekman tour.

This week's It's A Trap! Last.fm listening group top 10 artists of the week:

01. Jens Lekman
02. Belle and Sebastian
03. Interpol
04. Shout Out Louds
05. Moneybrother
06. Rilo Kiley
07. Kent
08. Sufjan Stevens
09. Feist
10. José González

Do you listen to music on your computer or with an iPod? Join us! Go here to learn more: http://www.last.fm/help/

This week's It's A Trap! Last.fm listening group top 10 albums of the week:

01. Death Cab for Cutie – Plans
02. Shout Out Louds – Our Ill Wills
03. The Arcade Fire – Neon Bible
04. Death Cab for Cutie – Transatlanticism
05. Bloc Party – Silent Alarm
06. The Smiths – Louder Than Bombs
07. Franz Ferdinand – Franz Ferdinand
08. Shout Out Louds – Howl Howl Gaff Gaff
09. Jens Lekman – Oh You're So Silent Jens
10. Familjen – Det snurrar i min skalle

Do you listen to music on your computer or with an iPod? Join us! Go here to learn more: http://www.last.fm/help/

This week's It's A Trap! Last.fm listening group top 10 tracks of the week:

01. Håkan Hellström – Ramlar
02. Jens Lekman – And I remember every kiss
03. Shout Out Louds – Tonight I have to leave it
04. Okkervil River – Our life is not a movie or maybe
05. Jens Lekman – Sipping on the sweet nectar
06. Modest Mouse – Dashboard
07. Maia Hirasawa – Gothenburg
08. Shout Out Louds – You are dreaming
09. The National – Green gloves
10. Jens Lekman – The opposite of hallelujah

Good to see a few of my posts actually make the chart! Do you listen to music on your computer or with an iPod? Join us! Go here to learn more: http://www.last.fm/help/

It's official: not only is IAT favorite Viktor Sjöberg (both solo and with Sonores, among other acts) performing with Jens Lekman as part of his band on tour in the US, but he'll also be performing a solo closing set after each night's performance. Whether that means a DJ set or a set of Viktor's own music remains to be seen, but either way I'm excited. Those dates again:

10/23 - Jake's, Bloomington, IN
10/25 - Black Cat, Washington, DC
10/26 - First Unitarian Church, Philadelphia, PA
10/27 - Webster Hall, New York, NY
10/29 - Paradise, Boston, MA
11/01 - Beachland Ballroom, Cleveland, OH
11/02 - Logan Square Auditorium, Chicago, IL
11/03 - Triple Rock Social Club, Minneapolis, MN
11/06 - Nectar, Seattle, WA
11/07 - Someday Lounge, Portland, OR
11/09 - Bimbo's 365 Club, San Francisco, CA
11/10 - Troubadour, West Hollywood, CA