Lykke Li - Youth Novels

Whether she appreciates the hype surrounding her or not, Lykke Li appears to be flying the flag as Sweden’s latest musical export, and this debut album goes some way to enhancing her reputation further. It follows a six-month period in which a combination of growing online momentum and the ever-faithful ‘word-of-mouth’ effect has brought her to the consciousness of many a further-afield-looking pop fan.

In spite of an unconvincing spoken-word track to kick things off, it is clear from the off that Lykke Li’s style is full of subtle touches. Her playful charm and childlike vocal tones sometimes lead you to think that she’s suddenly going to break out of her shell all guns blazing and deliver something decidedly more manic, but the album proves to be a fairly laid-back affair overall, with the majority of her focus directed towards creating a low-key mood peppered with lovelorn musings and wide-ranging instrumentation.

From the restless horns and strings solos of ‘Dance, Dance, Dance’ to the sample-strewn synths and escalating bassline of single I’m Good, I’m Gone, there are plenty of elements in play which could potentially distract or overpower, but Björn Yttling and Lasse Mårten’s superb production allows for Li’s intriguing vocals to take centre stage on a consistent basis over the course of the LP. Her voice recalls that of Cerys Matthews at times, inoffensively gliding over the wash of activity beneath.

Her potential was always apparent towards the tail end of last year when tracks such as ‘Tonight’ and ‘Little Bit’ were first unearthed, and their presence in close proximity to each other at the centre of this album helps to underline the quality of the 22-year-old’s dreamy electro-fused balladry.

It must be said that even after repeated listens to ‘Youth Novels’ one feels that, with the exception of ‘Everybody But Me’, the second half of the record fails to capture the imagination as much as the first. Mindful of it being fourteen tracks in length, there are a couple of songs (the faux dreamscapes of ‘This Trumpet In My Head’ and the slightly grating ‘Breaking It Up’) which seem dispensable. The positives do outweigh the negatives though, so forget the lazy comparisons to Robyn, this young lady’s got more than enough sparkle in her locker to make a splash on her own.

Youth Novels Tracklisting:

1. Melodies&Desires
2. Dance, Dance, Dance
3. I’m Good, I’m Gone
4. Let It Fall
5. My Love
6. Tonight
7. Little Bit
8. Hanging High
9. This Trumpet In My Head
10. Complaint Department
11. Breaking It Up
12. Everybody But Me
13. Time Flies
14. Window Blues