Is there any musician as lovable as Jens Lekman? Since 2000 the native of Gothenburg, Sweden
has delighted listeners with his adventures, though they’re often
misadventures, in the arena of love.
There’s something, perhaps his Jonathan Richman/Stephin Merritt vocal
style or his heart aching melodic hooks, that makes one think, ‘that Lekman
fellow sure has it rough’. There’s
really no need to feel bad for him though, eve though I Know What Love Isn’t sprang from Jens’ most recent breakup it has
spawned a batch of beautiful pop songs.
Never one to shy away from the twee side of things, Sweden’s
favorite crooner delves even deeper into soft rock territory this time
around. Many of the tracks here quickly
remind one of The Carpenters and their plush pop stylings. Lekman’s style might be a bit cheesy for
some, but his sincerity and downright talent when it comes to writing lyrics
can quickly put those issues to rest. On
album standout ‘Erica America’ he laments, ‘I wish I’d never met you, like I
wish I’d never tasted wine, or tasted it from lips that weren’t mine, now every
drop tastes more bitter all the time’, which is quickly followed by a sax solo
that is as smooth jazz as it can get.
Few artists have made broken relationships and lost love
sound as good as Jens, and he has marked out his territory as the heir apparent
to The Magnetic Fields and Belle & Sebastian even better here. While his sound has always been influenced by
the soft AM sounds of the 70’s his complete indulgence in soft rock on I Know What Love Isn’t feels both
natural and completely welcome. Whether
it’s the gentle piano of ‘She Just Don’t Want to be with You Anymore’, ‘The
World Moves On’ which nods to Steely Dan, or the swooning flute and strings of
the title track, Jens feels right at home.
Now over a decade into his career Jens’ lot as the lovable
loser hasn’t changed, but as he points out, ‘A broken heart is not the end of
the world.’
Grade: B+
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