Wounded Rhymes

If Lykke Li's consistent (yet commercially underwhelming) debut record was any indication, she had a lot more to offer us than eclectic musical compositions with hooks that tend to stick. And that promise is certainly recognized on the supremely excellent "Wounded Rhymes", her sophomore record, and one that should solidify her place amongst todays' best independent artists. A record of this sort will perhaps never be a million-seller; and probably won't even reach a fraction of the audience that fellow Swede Robyn did last year with her stupendous "Body Talk", but as a work of art it is virtually flawless. The only flaw, if one can call it that, is that it is somewhat short in length.

The theme of the record, as indicated by the cryptic album cover, is love and loss. What is interesting about Lykke Li, is that she doesn't really seem to care so much about love, but rather seems more focussed on consequences of it. An interesting take, but this leads to some great songwriting - the lyrics here seem straightforward but are in fact rather indecipherable at times - and the music more than appropriately backs it up.

The standout track (amongst an album full of standouts, one might add) is the riveting "I Follow Rivers" - which is literally overflowing with metaphor and meaning - the glacial overtones of the instrumentation were not lost on the director of the music video to this fascinating piece of music - and it encapsulates what the entire record is all about. The same can be said of the slow-burner "Silent my Song" - a track that reveals itself in stages and only upon multiple listens. Throughout the album, there is a sense of open space & Nordic wilderness - a running theme through Lykke's records in general - but more so in this one. This gives it a chance to sonically 'open up' in ways that can be experienced best on only a hi-fi music system. On the flipside, there are things about it best experienced on headphones - the stark difference between playing this on a huge system and on a minimalist system is quite something - its like two entirely different albums - both just as essential and spellbinding.

Listen, this may not be everyones kind of music. I'm more a Bon Iver, Justin Vernon, Devendra Banhart, & Joanna Newsom kind of guy, so my tastes veer toward the obscure, and for lack of a better word, 'freak folk' movement. However, Scandinavia has been regularly producing some truly sensational artists - Stina Nordenstam comes to mind, but most talented would perhaps be Lykke Li, and the even more obscure Frida Hyvonen and her sophomore album "Silence is Wild". If moody, dark, minimalist icy pop is what youre after, Lykke Li is exactly the kind of artist that should do it for you. Also, and it bears repeating, this is an album that has immense repeat value - which of course is always the hallmark of an instant classic.

Five Stars. Definitely in the running for Album of the Year 2011.

"Wounded Rhymes" is the follow up to Swedish songstress Lykke Li's brilliant debut "Youth Tales". Produced by Björn Yttling of Peter Björn and John, it opens with the playfully bouncy organ-driven "Youth Knows No Pain" which sounds like a sixties girl group."I Follow Rivers" is surreal with tinpot percussion and a ghostly coda, while "Love Out Of Lust" (with a forlorn whistle break) and the tinkling "Unrequited Love" are wistful retro ballads. The bouncy "Get Some" (with chiming guitars and tribal percussion) finds her declaring "I'm your prostitute, you gonna get some".

"Rich Kids Blues" juxtaposes fuzzy/quivering guitars against a dense wall of sound, while "Sadness Is A Blessing" is a shuffling Doo Wop-style ballad. "I Know Places" is a tender acoustic ballad with gently strummed guitar, "Jerome" is absolutely stunning, and closing is "Silent My Song" with gorgeous harmonies and the lines "You see pain like it is pleasure, like a work of art". This perfectly sums up Li's sound as she sees music like a work of art.

The other reviews do a nice job of talking about the music, so I thought I'd chime in on the packaging. If you're tossing whether to splurge on the CD or just get the download - this is one of the rare cases I'd suggest the download. There isn't much to the CD packaging. One obscure, photo of a tribal painted Ms. Li on the back page of the booklet plus the murky cover art. The lyric sheet is muddled as well, printed text with some inky cross-outs to somehow denote that Ms. Li was still working out the songs while the booklet went to press.

Focus instead on the music: slow burners that demand attention and a few full throttle bangers that demand movement. Focus instead on the voice - a vibrato crisp like a woodwind; powerful and enchanting. I thought with the vampy SPIN cover story, the album would have sold better out of the gate, but this one is sure to blaze a slow, steady trail, one listener at a time. While Robyn and Annie are bright, caffeinated blasts of technicolor pop (that I highly recommend); Wounded Rhymes is a cool, hazy, thumpy, rhythmic and dreamy disc you can dance to before drifting away into bliss.

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