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Youth Novels

Li Lykke Audio CD
4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
Price: CDN$ 19.19 & eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over CDN$ 25. Details
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Product Description

Product Description

2008 debut album from the Swedish Pop sensation. Lykke is a name on every one's lips right now, having released an EP that featured the radio hit 'Just A Little Bit'. Now signed to the Swedish indie giants Dolores (I'm from Barcelona, Pacific, Caesars, Loney, Dear, etc.), she is about to take the world by storm with Youth Novel, produced by Bj”rn Yttling (Peter Bjorn & John) in New York.

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Customer Reviews

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Most helpful customer reviews
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars Lykke li so Sep 7 2008
By E. A Solinas HALL OF FAME TOP 10 REVIEWER
Format:Audio CD
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), whose high soft voice and uniquely pretty music are reminiscent of singers like El Perro Del Mar, Hanne Hukkelberg and Stina Nordenstam. And her full-length debut "Youth Novels" is an exquisite one -- wistful, bittersweetly elfin songs set to deceptively simple-sounding electro-folkpop.

It opens with a gentle stream of piano and strings, as Lykke Li quietly instructs a lover on how to hold her. "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," a simple little song about expressing your feelings via dancing ("When I'm shaking my hips/Look for the swing/The words are written in the air"), and the plunkin 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 of the more mellow niches -- she tries out haunting folk songs tinged with synth, melancholy 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... I woke up the night... 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...."

The entire "Youth Novels" album has a feeling of bittersweet intimacy -- it's sitting with a friend whose heart has just started to heal, and watching the snowflakes flutter down outside the window. And while the first couple songs are a bit on the lightweight side, Lykke Li quickly expands her repertoire and shows just how many kinds of pop she can do. Well, she does them all pretty well.

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 "Can't Get That Trumpet Out Of My Head" and the peppier "Dance Dance Dance." The latter 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, piano melodies that can be heavy or tinkly as the song demands, a bit of kettle drum, 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 "Can't Get That Trumpet Out Of My Head."

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" -- ouch), her lyrics are also quite sweet -- the absence of love is painful and sometimes breaking up makes you anry, while love's presence brings you shyness, joy and defensiveness. Just look at the one about communicating love through dance.

"Youth Novel" is everything a debut album should be. While it's a bit fluffy at the start, it soon becomes obvious that Lykke Li is a master of many kinds of electropop. Definitely keep an eye on this girl.
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0 of 1 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars One of my favourites! Jun 17 2011
Format:LP Record
One of those gems that I just had to purchase on vinyl. Great album, and something I'm glad to keep for years to come.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com: 4.4 out of 5 stars  38 reviews
19 of 19 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Atmospheric Pop from Sweden!! July 14 2008
By Nse Ette - Published on Amazon.com
Format:Audio CD
Lykke Li is Sweden's latest Pop export and she's gotten the inevitable comparisons to fellow Nordic Pop stars Robyn and Annie, but in truth, her style is miles different from those two. 22 years old she may be, but her music is far ahead of her years, even her arty cover photo sets her apart from those two.

Her debut "Youth novels" is produced by Björn Yttling of Peter Bjorn and John and Lasse Mårtén, it is rather experimental and dreamy, fitting her light airy vocals to a tee.

In an album awash in brilliance, standouts include "Dance dance dance" (tapped percussion and strummed percussion, a squidgy Sax solo building to a nice choir finale), the sunny "I'm good, I'm gone" (with a killer chorus and lovely keyboard flourishes), the acoustic/Pop "Let it fall", the lilting Jazz/Folk "Little Bit" (which wouldn't sound out of place on a Kings of Convenience CD), the stark yet astonishingly beautiful ballad "Hanging high", the acoustic spoken largely instrumental "This trumpet in my head" (of course daintily adorned with trumpet playing), the buzzing Björk-like "Complaint department", the hand clap-filled Jazzy/Synth number "Breaking it up", and the brooding, almost hymnal closing number "Window blues" (with haunting harmonies).

This album is incredibly clever pop music with a great attention to detail. If only all Pop music could be this intelligent. I think we'll be hearing a lot more of Ms. Li in the near future.
17 of 19 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Even enjoyable for old farts Feb 20 2009
By A. lozano - Published on Amazon.com
Format:Audio CD
Seeing some of the ageist comments on here made me reflect..... good music can be enjoyed by anyone... of any age.
This ablem has entertained me for several months now - and i am 62. I was brought up on the staples of hippydom and hard rock, but the album reaches across those boundaries and has given me hours of listening pleasure.

zippydedodah
12 of 13 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Top class tuneful album Nov 13 2008
By British Commentator - Published on Amazon.com
Format:Audio CD
Ignore the person who says this is not for over 20's, I am late 30's and love this album. It is full of great tunes, very catchy with strong beats. It is best described as electronic pop, but I think it will strongly appeal to some Hip Hop heads too. It is from Sweden but lyrics are in English.
Buy it!!!
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