album #87

night falls over kortedala (jens lekman)

This is a fun album. Very lush. Overall I'd say the positives and the negatives both come out of the syrupyness of this record- incredibly sweet, lush melodies and confessional, emotionally expressive lyrics- but sometimes pushing the envelope, a little too sweet, a little too busy. Jens has a fun sound on this record, a sort of 1970s European/Disco retro sound- flutes, strings, high brass- with that perfectly clear, warm voice.

The second half of the record is charming and okay, but the first half really unleashes a powerful string of fun, poppy, successful songs, rich with sound. After a pleasant but imposingly melodramatic first track, the meat of the album follows- "Sipping on the Sweet Nectar," a fun, upbeat track driven by the brass; "The Opposite of Hallelujah," perfectly charming; "A Postcard to Nina," a cute track with a lovely balance of romantic ballad, comedy, and the upbeat swing of a brassy chorus; "Into Eternity," a sweet, lovely, fun ballad; and "I'm Leaving You Because I Don't Love You," perhaps my favorite track on the album, very pretty, that dancingly upbeat piano, a striking contrast to the vocals. “I'm so sorry I couldn't love you enough…" damn.

After that row the songs maintain their lushness and general tenor, but they just don't engage me at quite the same level. I did enjoy the late track, "Kanske Ar Jag Kar I Dig," fun vocal styles, a fun beat, altogether just arranged well.

Although the busy, upbeat tracks are a lot of fun, there's something about the slightly simpler, melodic sadness of "I am Leaving You…" and "…Hallelujah" that appeals to me, and I recall hearing at least one other Lekman song in that vein, and I'd be interested to hear if he's made other records that approach more of that sound.