Jens Lekman

 

Jens Lekman

 

Jens Lekman is a Swedish singer-songwriter who mixes mighty orchestral arrangements with a witty sense of humor and a powerful vocal delivery. His newest effort, Night Falls Over Kortedala (2007), is a departure from Lekman’s usual intimate piano/guitar pieces found on earlier albums Oh You’re So Silent Jens (2005) and When I Said I Wanted To Be Your Dog (2004) but was nevertheless met with praise by fans and critics alike. I first found about Lekman around Thanksgiving when my friend raved to me about his show. My friend spoke of Lekman’s humble stage presence, humorous stories and brilliantly costumed backing musicians.

 

So without hearing anything by the man, I picked up Night Falls Over Kortedala and it is by far one of my favorite releases of 2007. Instead of quiet piano ballads, Night Falls Over Kortedala expands on Lekman’s love for grandiose orchestral arrangement. Songs like “Sipping On The Sweet Nectar,” which features flute and brass sections reminiscent of a theme song to a 1970s game show, and “The Opposite Of Hallelujah,” with it’s melancholy yet oh-so-poppy violin sections and bouncy piano line, reflect Lekman’s best work to date. Lekman also proves that his humor is just a fresh and witty as always with songs like “Shirin,” about Lekman’s Iraqi hairdresser who runs a salon out of her garage so as to avoid getting business taxes from the government, “Your Arms Around Me,” in which Lekman croons in his Sinatra-esque voice about his girlfriend sneaking up on him while he is cutting up an avocado and incidentally cutting off the tip of his finger, and “A Postcard To Nina,” where Lekman hilariously talks about posing as a boyfriend for one of his friends who is a lesbian and does not want her strict Catholic father to know. The whole album is a delightful collection of pop masterpieces and although Lekman does use samples, most of the orchestral string/guitar/brass interplay is arranged by Lekman. So pick up Night Falls Over Kortedala if you have a chance and make sure to see if Lekman is stopping by your city on his upcoming March/April tour.

 

From Night Falls Over Kortedala

Jens Lekman- “The Opposite Of Hallelujah”

Jens Lekman- “A Postcard To Nina”

 

From Oh You’re So Silent Jens

Jens Lekman- “Pocketful Of Money”

Jens Lekman- “Black Cab”

 

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2 thoughts on “Jens Lekman

  1. You gotta love the man from Kortedala, especially if you’re swedish like me! Have to support your countrymen…apart from that he is a really talented musician:)

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