Jens Lekman
Night Falls Over Kortedala
EMI



If Morrissey was reincarnated as a Norwegian lounge singer with a backing band from The Love Boat, it would sound something like Jens Lekman. This is a man who is collecting inspiration from music history rather than playing catch up with what is peddled as popular music. 'Night Falls Over Kortedala' demonstrates that Lekman has with more in common with Frank Sinatra than with any singer/songwriters from this decade.

Lekman's debut album, 'When I Said I Wanted To Be Your Dog' claimed to be a collection of recordings from 2000 - 2004. He has continued in this theme and this new album is advertised as a collection of recordings from 2004 - 2007. Despite this strange method of bringing together an album, 'Night Falls Over Kortedala' is a cohesive album drawn together by Lekman's effortless crooning. While his lyrics may often be overstated and melodramatic he has a loveable and quirky style. The witty storytelling is best highlighted in A Postcard To Nina as he pretends to be Nina's boyfriend so she can keep her strict Catholic father from discovering her lesbian relationship.

Sipping On The Sweet Nectar is delightfully cheesy orchestral pop that sounds like it could be stolen from a 1960's movie set in sunny California. The golden breezy pop continues in The Opposite Of Hallelujah which perfectly matches Lekman's light-hearted lyrics, "I picked up a seashell to illustrate my homelessness / but a crab crawled out making it useless". As this upbeat pop song progresses, Lekman veers away from becoming a lyrical light-weight and muses about being misunderstood and unworthy of admiration.

I'm Leaving You Because I Don't Love You displays Lekman's ability to include the intricate details of life as he digs into deep issues (yet still squeezes in comments about an asthma inhaler), but unfortunately his voice falls flat on a couple of key notes. If I Could Cry sounds like the musical backing of a Barry White song and has additional vocals from burgeoning Norwegian songstresses Frida Hyvonen and El Perro del Mar. The saxophone line that leads the core melody line of Friday Night At The Drive-In Bingo sounds like it was pillaged straight from music at the 'Happy Days' diner, and what better musical guest to serenade the Fonz and co. than Jens Lekman.

For a man like Jens Lekman, "pop" is not a dirty word; he happily throws in repeated "doo-wop" lyrics and lavishes all kinds of orchestration (strings, horns, samples, handclaps, accordions) upon his sweet melodies. Jens Lekman may often inhabit the musical worlds of the past but thanks to the way he reinterprets these inspirations he has ensured that 'Night Falls Over Kortedala' is one of the freshest albums of the year.

Scott Berry