Lykke Li – Youth Novels

Like most mere mortals, this writer was first alerted to the nascent talent of Lykke Li (pronounced “luke-a-lee”) after seeing the 22 year-old Swede performing ‘Little Bit’ on Later…with Jools Holland a couple of months back. A more recent live outing, during which she practically tore the roof off one of Dublin’s more sedate venues, was further proof of her ample star quality. Thankfully, then, with the arrival of her debut album, this momentum is maintained and Sweden’s reputation as something of a hotbed for diverse leftfield pop music is enhanced.
 
Whereas the likes of El Perro del Mar, The Shout Out Louds and the peerless Jens Lekman all share, in addition to nationality, a certain knowing, twee take on all things musical, here their compatriot opts for a more route-one approach: dodgy opening track aside, much of Youth Novels’ appeal lies in its unabashed sense of playfulness. Sounding at times confident – even while airing insecurities – and at others downright brash, you get the impression that it’s been a while since Ms. Li sat down with Belle & Sebastian’s back catalogue.
 
And while this is by no means a perfect record – it’s at least ten minutes too long for starters, and boasts two or three bewildering duds – any shortcomings are both forgiven and forgotten thanks to the strength, not to mention variety, of material on offer. From the jaunty ‘Dance, Dance, Dance’ to the Timbaland-aping synths and demented children’s choir on ‘Breaking It Up’, via the sultry, hip-shaking brilliance of the aforementioned ‘Little Bit’ (the line “…for you I keep my legs apart / and forget about my tainted heart” could make Nelly Furtado blush), the only problem would seem to be which single to release next. Meanwhile, current single ‘I’m Good, I’m Gone’ hits like a scattier, clappier Feist, while ‘Tonight’ is the sound of rainy 3am heartbreak, and has ‘crossover potential’ written all over it.
 
Lykke Li has talked in interviews about the prospect of global success, and openly admits to moving to New York when she was 19 “because Madonna did”. For the moment, she’ll have to make do with people falling for the charms of Youth Novels, an album that looks set to become a slow-burning hit over the coming months. Beyond that, we can only hope that the ill-advised Kanye ‘n’ JT collaborations are kept to a minimum.