Jens and decapitation.

Damn Swedes have done it again. With the exception of Ace of Base, the Scandinavian country has a relatively unshakable reputation for hosting some brilliant pop acts with timeless music. Enter: Jens Lekman.

The 26 year old is and old dog at this game. His previous albums (”When I Said I Wanted to Be Your Dog” and “Oh You’re So Silent Jens”) were two of the most entertaining albums of their respective years. They were both drenched in a minimalistic Brill Building sound a la Burt Bacharach with his Stephen Merritt-esque vocals (a very popular trait among Scandinavian male singers, it seems. Refer to Suburban Kids with Biblical Names as well.)

Whereas some other European indie pop male singer/songwriters (how are those for qualifiers?) seem to barely tip-toe the borders of their own ingenuity (I’m looking at you, Sondre Lerche), Lekman is more than happy to do what he does best…only better. There’s a sense of richness and depth in his third album, “Night Falls Over Kortedala,” that he’s hinted at before, but is dominant here. The album is nothing if not a natural progression from his previous work polished to perfection. Lekman manages to bridge that Brill Building pop with old-school rhythm and blues, a connection that would usually pass over most of our heads but makes complete sense.

Do yourself a favor and catch him if he stops by your city.

Featured Song: “Kanske Ar Jag Kar I Dig” by Jens Lekman


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Featured Song: “The Opposite Of Hallelujah” by Jens Lekman


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Posted on Tuesday, September 11th, 2007 at 5:39 pm in Music, Music Monday. Follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Leave a response, or trackback from your own site.