It's hard to cover this record since Mattias Alkberg already wrote the definitive review, but I'll do my best to sum up my thoughts without adding too much extraneous noise to the discussion. Though I wouldn't consider myself much of a Lykke Li fan, her debut album "Youth novels" had a cute, bright-eyed naivety that was undeniably charming and it wasn't hard to see why so many people made a big fuss over it. Now that she's an established artist, she's trying to position herself as a someone who's far more self-aware and serious and, frankly, I'm having a very hard time meeting her on that level. As much as she may feel authentically world-weary, it comes across as a bit of a put-on -- a different kind of youthful naivety that's far less appealing. My biggest problem with the record however, is that it has no sense of fun. A few solid tunes, sure, but more often than not it's a joyless trudge and, as much as that may reflect her mood while writing it, it doesn't compel repeated listens. - Avi Roig
Before I listened to this album, I'd heard about three Lykke Li songs. Those tracks were all catchy and fantastic with great melodies, so I naturally expected her album to be more of the same. What a surprise I was in for! The album consists of a bunch of songs like those I've previously heard, but then there's a whole weirdness thing going on, a bit like Björk or perhaps more similar to those sounds Tom Waits has made his own. The album's quite spooky, and it's got a factory feel to it. The juxtaposition of spookiness with melodic choruses and such poppy devices such as handclaps work very well though. Li is the fortunate owner of a marvellous voice and on the slower tracks it reminds me of Stina Nordenstam. The parts I'm not particularly fond of are the ones where she talks more than sings, but even those ones manage to create an intimate atmosphere that draws you in. This album surprised me, but even though I'd accept twelve "Little bit"s with open arms, the songs on "Youth novels" make for a strong, interesting and intriguing debut album that incorporates many interesting elements without solely relying on them. - Simon Tagestam
A three song single doesn't really give one a good grasp of what a singer is doing, especially when there's only one track that's a real standout. Said track, "Everybody but me", is that way because it has the closest thing to a pop hook in the lot, and the arrangement of it is the also the most complete. The other two tracks, "Little bit" and "Time flies", just feel incomplete. By only adding one or two more sounds, "Little bit" could be all that a great opening track should be, and not the current stumble that it is. - Matt Giordano
Lykke Li
Lykke Li
Lykke Li
