swedish girls that aren't robyn

On today's mix...
Lykke Li - Youth Novels (2008)
El Perro Del Mar - From the Valley to the Stars (2008)

22-year-old singer-songwriter Lykke Li has been getting a lot of press lately thanks to the hypnotic single “I’m Good, I’m Gone” and it’s stop-motion, Shining-evoking music video; and while her debut album Youth Novels awaits a U.S. release date, she’s touring the country with fellow Swedish siren El Perro Del Mar. I’m seeing them next week at the El Ray, so I decided to pair up Youth Novels and El Perro’s sophomore effort From the Valley to the Stars on my run today.

Youth Novels is an exciting but uneven debut. Album opener “Melodies & Desires”—a spoken-word-over-ambient-noise abstraction—may not be the best place to start out. But Lykke finds her footing on the cute, sparse “Dance Dance Dance” and especially on the album’s most sharply written moment, “I’m Good, I’m Gone”. Elsewhere, though, Lykke’s music can get a little repetitive, and Lykke’s hooks often shine the brightest when she hits the “fade out” button. “Let It Fall” thrives under three minutes, whereas “Little Bit” gets a little tedious at four and a half. And when the hooks do not hook, such as on the tiresome “Complaint Department”, it’s difficult not to skip to the next track. However, it’s hard to pinpoint anything wrong in her method, as nearly every miss on this album is accompanied by a direct hit. Where “Melodies & Desires” methods seemed flawed, for instance, the same approach produces the gorgeous, Lynch-ian “The Trumpet in My Head”. Of course, the saving grace of this album is Bjorn Yttling (of PB&J) and Lasse Marten’s production, and even when Lykke’s writing flounders, the songs still soar. “My” may be a little indistinct, but it’s likely the album’s most sonically lush moment. All things considered, though, I prefer when the production creeps out a little more, as on the lively “Breaking Up” (which, unlike recent Rilo Kiley and Gwen Stefani songs of the same name, manages to skirt the cell phone metaphors) or with the haunting closer “Window Blues”. I suspect Lykke Li’s best days may lie in the future, but Youth Novels gives us plenty of exciting songs to soak in for the meantime.

El Perro Del Mar has also delivered a sonically beautiful new record, albeit a more tranquil one. Gone is verge-of-tears warble that dominated her eponymous 2006 debut, replaced by mere downheartedness, and it’s rather surprising to hear the album open with a seemingly unironic song entitled “Jubilee”— a reference to the religious hymns of her childhood that she’s stated inspired her writing on this record. Yes, while From the Valley to the Stars matches its predecessor in beauty (and possibly even trumps it), it showcases a more emotionally demure Perro. Like Cat Power’s turnaround The Greatest, this is still a somber record, but not necessarily a depressing one. Whether she’s looking on the bright side of loneliness on “Inner Island” or whether she’s advising on “Do Not Despair”, it’s clear that she’s measured out that despair of her debut into something manageable and is looking forward—albeit warily—to better days ahead. Of course, this does not make for as exciting an album as El Perro Del Mar, but it’s a more consistent one. Further, while no track sounds rushed, she’s improved her effectiveness by trimming most of the record's songs below three minutes. Taken all together, the effect is a beautiful record and a very mature one, full of tracks set to provide the type of gentle encouragement necessary to spur a person out of a rut in hard times.

I wasn’t sure that either of these albums would necessarily be great running music, but they were perfect for getting lost in an uncharacteristically gray May afternoon. I ended up recording one of my best (and most consistent) average paces yet. I hope it all sounds as good live.

Youth Novels: 7/10
From the Valley to the Stars: 7/10