When my best friend put Lykke Li's "Little Bit" on a playlist she made for me last summer, the breezy track swept me away to an easygoing car ride along the coastline. I went on to repeatedly listen to her whole 2008 first album, "Youth Novels," which I loved for its shyness, innocence and simplicity. Li is back and as great as ever with her second album "Wounded Rhymes," which was released late this February.
An amazing compilation of eclectic and promising tracks, "Wounded Rhymes" confirmed for me that Li is a diamond in a sea full of rhinestones, as the young Swedish indie songbird stands out among her contemporaries with her crisp sound and honest style.
By mixing the spunk of Stevie Nicks and Liz Phair, the complex and folksy talent of Joni Mitchell and the ever coy and playful vocals of Gwen Stefani, Li deftly preserves the sounds of the past in a contemporary context. The strong presence of tambourine and heavy drums in her songs creates a sound that is at times akin to listening to an oldies radio station. Along with a backing band, Li often supplements her vocals by playing instruments herself. She joins other female artists such as Florence and the Machine, Adele, Duffy and Amy Winehouse in ushering in a fuller, more complex sound that can yield mass appeal on the airwaves without sacrificing the depth and sophistication that this generation of music junkies needs to hear.
Li especially delivers in her "MTV Unplugged" performance, which aired on MTV's website on April 7. Her natural talent shines through during the episode, as she strips her sound down to the basics in songs from her two albums. With a respectful humility and a soft-spoken enthusiasm, Li performs brilliantly in the seven-song set, convincing me that any song she touches, whether her own music or a cover, is destined to sound strikingly cool and original.
"Wounded Rhymes" is an amazing sophomore effort that both maintains Li's raw musicality and exhibits her darker and gloomier side. The album's 10 tracks have a little something for everyone. Romantics will enjoy "I Follow Rivers," "Love Out of Lust," "Unrequited Love," and "Jerome." Angsty youths will connect with "Youth Knows No Pain" and "Sadness is a Blessing." Feminists will relate to the messages in "Get Some."
As the first single off of the album, "Get Some" hits listeners hard with sexual lyrics such as "Like a shotgun needs an outcome/I'm your prostitute, you gon' get some." However, Li goes on to assert that she has the same control as men, especially when in a relationship: "And 'cause I can go, I'm gon' go West/Just like a man, I'm the fortress." Featuring a fast-paced, contagious rhythm, "Get Some" is at once a toe-tapper and an anthem for gender equality.
The cold and dreary sound of her second single, "I Follow Rivers," evokes images of the seashore during winter. Fittingly, the music video features a snowy, isolated setting a la Jack London's "Call of the Wild." This is a standout track on the album, with a beautiful timbre reflected through instrumentation that mimics the sounds of nature and a tambourine to keep the rhythm. The rich and distinguishing sound of "I Follow Rivers" is unlike most standard fare on the radio, yet the song remains infectiously catchy.
Li's angelic and high-pitched soulfulness pours out in "Love Out of Lust," with a drum backbeat that reminds me of Duffy pleading in her song "Mercy." Li sings about living and loving in the moment with her repetition of "So dance while you can/Dance cause you must," which brings back memories of fleeting childhood love.
The slow-tempoed "Unrequited Love" is another standout track that showcases Li's bluesy side, as the song features elements similar to that of Winehouse's "Wake Up Alone." Li's beautiful, clear and soothing voice is the main focus of the song, enabling listeners to empathize with Li's pain and regret. The harmonizing in the chorus, with unexpected hints of rasp in Li's voice, is supremely pleasing to the ear.
Lykke Li is a rare find nowadays, and "Wounded Rhymes" is a shining example of music as an art form, of performance fueled by desire but also by attention to detail and superb artistic vision.
