The No.1 website for musicians
Out Now (Atlantic)
The second album from Swedish songstress Lykke Li, whose 2008 debut Youth Novels gained much critical acclaim yet little commercial success outside of her native Sweden.
Lykke Li’s debut album was one of the great forgotten gems of 2008, never quite managing to make any dent on the wider consciousness in the way it deserved to.
This follow-up sees her once again playing with many of the ideas she developed on that debut record, but this time sounding more confident with them, creating a fuller, more up-front record.
Fans of the recent releases from similarly powerful female artists like PJ Harvey, Adele and Anna Calvi will find a lot to like here. Lykke Li matches her strong voice with pounding percussion throughout; particularly on the album’s sexually-charged standout track Get Some.
Recent single I Follow Rivers owes a certain debt to fellow-Swedes The Knife, while the more down-tempo Sadness Is A Blessing bears many of the hallmarks of the previously mentioned Ms Polly Harvey.
A tight, well crafted album that we hope will pick up more mainstream recognition over here than its predecessor.
