Album Review: Lykke Li, Youth Novels

I was initially put off by this album because I don't like the first track. I just don't feel that it showcases the her best, which I believe an opening track needs to do. As a result of this little snafu I was not getting into the album the way I could have months ago when I first started talking about her.

So if you can get past the first song, the second song is "Dance, Dance, Dance" which was my introduction to Lykke Li last winter. It typifies her sound of percussion and vocals, sung very evenly at the same dynamic and vocal range. I arbitrarily decided to listen to her album starting on the 3rd track at work the other day, and was so pleasantly surprised. Actually, every song after the first is pretty good! My favorite tracks include "Little Bit", "Breaking it Up" and "Time Flies". Her sound remains bare bones percussion accompanying her breathy vocals. I like to think of this album as relaxed pop, since it seems to always put me into a happy zen place. Music always has such a strong effect on me, and I think this might the first album that causes me to feel calm, even down to relaxing my shoulder muscles.

I know that I complained all summer about having nothing new to listn to, and no shows to go to, but that has really turned around this fall (as it always does....maybe I should stop acting like such a whiney little girl every summer, and instead focus on my excitement for the upcoming Fall releases. Doubtful.). Lykke Li sold out 3 NYC shows during CMJ, and was recieved very well. I couldn't make it to any of the shows, but I am now regretting that decision (I actually missed a lot in October).

So if you are feeling stressed out, put on some Lykke Li and feel the zen flowing through your veins.

<3 The Elephant