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While at first it’s tempting to bracket youthful Stockholm pop starlet Lykke Li and her fine debut album Youth Novels in with Annie and Robyn and all those other blog-friendly Scandinavian pop songstresses, in all truthfulness it’s not a comparison that quite works. While those artists take a quite glossy, polished approach to pop artistry, Youth Novels sometimes feels quite makeshift in its design: an experimental record, albeit one that attempts to make sweet, addictive songs from unusual or unconventional elements. At first, you worry that her voice is too slight: on "Dance Dance Dance" she sounds childlike and slight, backed by little but looped percussion and thrumming bass –- but the song gradually, majestically finds its feet, as first a madly soloing saxophone and then a full choir spirits in to her aid. And as it turns out, Lykke Li is actually a pretty tough cookie. "Little Bit" is superb confessional pop, a wispy lament over the lover that values you less than you value them, while "Complaint Department" is a wonderfully stern electro rattle built from fuzzy bass and tense drums, and a fabulously terse delivery: "If you want to complain/We are not the complaints department". Not that you will, of course: Youth Novels is a touching, intelligent debut, well worthy of attention.--Louis Pattison Amazon.co.uk review
Youth Novels should be in everyone's collection
I heard this on BBC's coverage of Glastonbury last year when she did a session for Jo Whiley. Absolutely stunning album, she has a great voice and soulful melodies combining with fab lyrics. This album is a must for anyone!
Paul Mynard, 2009-05-11Stunning atmospheric debut
For a country which produces so many artists it takes something special from a debut artist to make me listen more than a couple of times, this did it. Apart from the singles it has a great range of tracks and a brilliant chilled out feel at times. With exception of the low point on the album Complaint Department, this doesn't have a bad track on it.
Mr. L. Mullin, 2008-09-30Love is a symphony
For the record, Lykke Li has one of the most punnish stage names in all of the pop world.
Fortunately the obvious jokes are no reflection on the talents of this fledgling Swedish singer (real name: Li Lykke Timotej Zachrisson), her high soft voice, and her unique brand of pop music. And her full-length debut "Youth Novels" is an exquisite little confection -- wistful, robustly elfin songs set to sweetly wintry electro-folkpop.
It opens with a gentle stream of piano and plaintive strings, as Lykke Li quietly speaks. "Follow these instructions/Do exactly as I do... Love is the harmony/Desire is the key/Love is a symphony/Now play it with me..."
Things pick up with the more "Dance Dance Dance," an adorable little song about expressing your feelings via dancing, and the hard-edged/twinkly piano of "I'm Good I'm Gone" ("Well, say you're not 'cause when I'm gone/You'll be callin' but I won't be at the phone!"). But things start relaxing with the jazzier pop melody of "Let It Fall."
From there, Lykke Li explores some more mellow electro-folkpop, with haunting folk songs tinged with synth, sweetly romantic (and slightly sexy) guitar pop, exquisitely wistful ballads, dark electropop, and a weird experimental number where she spends a long time muttering "can't get that trumpet outta my head!" The album ends on a rather dark note with the stomping ballad "Window Blues ("Don't go all soft on me/don't come across for me/don't lose your selfish ways over me...."
If I had to compare Lykke Li to somebody, I'd say she sounds like Stina Nordenstam, or a more childlike, less innocent El Perro Del Mar. But those are just stylistic similarities, because her pretty pop has a very distinct sound even in her first album. And "Youth Novels" has a feeling of bittersweet, pretty intimacy -- it's sitting with a friend whose heart has just started to heal, and watching the snowflakes flutter down outside the window.
And her music is also very pretty -- we've got a bit of jazz, a bit of indie pop, and a veil of pale, soft electronica laid over it all like a blanket. She even does some experimentation in such songs as "Dance Dance Dance," which is the most mellow, downtempo dance song I've ever heard -- and most of it is just drums and a tapped bell.
The rest of the time, you can hear a delicate web of solid instrumentation -- half-smothered saxophone, a folky acoustic guitar, a xylophone, gentle tinkly piano melodies, kettle drums, and stretches of gentle plaintive strings. Oh yes, and some moments of buzzy dark synthpop, like in the gloriously dark "Complaint Department," and a swirling Spanish guitar that winds through one song.
And then there's the vocals. This girl has a voice of spun glass and sunlit icicles, and regardless of what she sings she sounds incredibly sweet and fragile. Despite some awkward moments ("For you I keep my legs apart" -- what?), her lyrics are also quite sweet -- the absence of love is painful, while its presence brings you shyness, joy and defensiveness. Just look at the one about communicating love through dance.
If you just skimmed through "Youth Novel," you'd think that Lykke Li's debut album was just a stretch of electropop with some folk overtones. But it's something far prettier and more alluring.
Great, Breezy Pop
I'd never heard of Lykke Li before, but I'm sure we'll all be hearing a lot more of her after word gets around about her debut album. Youth Novels is a cracker, full of bright and breezy pop songs, cleverly crafted and with a solid emphasis on intelligent and engaging lyrics. Its a great record and we'll expect even greater things from Miss Li in the future...
Particular Press, 2008-07-30Sweet & Gentle
I found Lykke Li's voice angelic & sweet. Her style reminds me of the Cardigans & alittle bit Bjork. The songs are intertwined with alot of instruments & somewhat different.
I think her singing is very melodic yet spacey.