So let's get married . . . but only for the citizenship. Ah, yes, it can only be Jens Lekman. Hard to believe it has been five years since his masterful album, Night Falls Over Kortedela. Lekman's first proper album, When I Said I Wanted to Be Your Dog, established the Swede as the go-to troubadour of pop earnestness and romantic melancholy. How many times has he fallen in love since then without ever quite getting it right?
Lekman's witty, sample-laden tracks are unforgettable, and his Morrissey-esque voice carries tunes to exquisite little epiphanies. His early efforts contained a wistful majesty to the lo-fi production, while his subsequent output is arguably better in terms of melody and polish. Indeed, his ear for melody is impressive, bringing magic to the small (and funny) stories of heartbreak and misunderstanding. Meeting chicks at anti-war demonstrations. Cutting his finger while slicing avacadoes. Visiting an Iraqi barber in her apartment salon. Singing with the perspective of Rocky Dennis from Mask. There is very little that Jens can stay silent about.
On I Know What Love Isn't, Lekman embellishes the sweet and the bitter with lovely piano lines, rich saxophones, and lilting flutes, drawing out the songs into fluid verses and choruses. Call it emo for people with graduate degrees in melody and heartbreak. Lekman sings, "A broken heart is not the end of the world / Because the end of the world is bigger than love," which ultimately seems like a grand conceit to convince himself otherwise. Listeners with dark, cold hearts may find this all to be a bit too much, but others will revel in the humor, pathos, and sweetness that Lekman reveals in his clever songs.
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