Jens Lekman is a Swedish Indie Pop artist who ever since the mid 2000's has been treating us to sweet, often clever Indie Pop/Baroque Pop albums. People have often compared him to the works of Belle & Sebastian as well as The Magnetic Fields, which I totally get! But Jens had such a charm to him that reminded me a little of the early work of Of Montreal. Anyways, he debuted back in 2004 with his album "When I Said I Wanted to Be Your Dog", and album that I think doesn't get enough credit. I really wasn't into the folkier tracks on here to be honest, but when it comes down to the poppier sounds Jens seriously was making some solid tunes. And on Jens next project, "Night Falls Over Kortedala, I got exactly what I wanted out of him. Jens here dropped most of the folk aspect and focused much more on writing catchy pop tunes and it worked fabulously. Sure the instrumentals were glamorous and over the top and totally overblown, but everything was so jolly and joyous and Jens was sounding more adorable and cute than ever. I couldn't say no to this album at all. I was a little mixed when it came to Jens next album however, "I Know What Love Isn't". Don't get me wrong, tracks like "Erica America" and "Some Dandruff On Your Shoulder" were fantastic, but Jens was going in a completely different direction here. Jens as an artist seemed so much more heartbroken, even instrumentally. And while I loved his lyrical work and the fact that he was making some seriously classy pop music, I wasn't completely sold. As far as the singles go leading up to this new album, they've shown a TON of promise, I don't wanna waste another second!
(One of the songs that turned me on to Jens years ago)
This album starts off with "To Know Your Mission". Jens has over the years become so good at taking little things in life and stretching them out and making them into wonderful tunes. The intro here is very sweet, as Jens illustrates how he's basically people watching, which I would much prefer to the more sad side of Jens that we got on his last album. Not only that, but it's certainly already much more lavish and colorful than we saw from Jens on his last album. Quickly, "To Know You Mission" picks up into a sweet, bouncy indie pop song that's full of life, and is certainly much more along the lines of what Jens should be focusing on. I wouldn't say he's completely returned to the sheer intimacy and colorfulness that he had early on in his career, but this is still certainly enjoyable and right up Jens alley. The sleigh bells and the backing vocals absolutely give me that same overwhelming sense of joy that I felt listening to Jens early material. Then all of a sudden towards the end of the track, everything comes together in this "ah-HAH" moment as Jens reveals he's singing about himself in some major flashback. It's a very joyous intro. Up next though is "Evening Prayer", where things really start to pick up. Right off the bat this is just so sweet, upbeat, and likable. Jens vocals here are to die for, there's certainly a very "cool" feel to his performance here. The melodies here couldn't be more on point, and I absolutely love the slight disco feel that he has going on his the background. It's actually a really fantastic sound for Jens, and one that I'd love to hear more from him on in the future. Lyrically, it's just as visual and as intriguing as you would hope, with some really surreal stuff thrown in as well. As far as "Evening Prayer" goes, I couldn't be happier. Jens on a few different occasions here goes for more of an electronic sound, but he certainly pulls it off well. On "Hotwire the Ferris Wheel" Jens brings in tons of beautiful carnival imagery. I love listening to his lyrics, it always feels like I'm catching up with him after not seeing him for a while. This one is certainly a slower track and all, but it's still so lush and colorful. Personally, I enjoy his more upbeat and peppy tunes, but this is certainly great. Not to mention, the entire buildup to that gigantic string release is just wonderful. There's just such a carefree attitude to all of this, I'm more of a winter dude in general but this certainly has me wanting to take a nice stroll somewhere warm. On "What's That Perfume You Wear?", that upbeat, almost disco sound is back in a big way, with a huge tropical feel on top of that. This honestly one of the most straightforward tracks here, BUT, it works for Jens. Once that first verse hits, I dare you to try and stay in your seat. This sounds like something a whole lot of indie pop bands would try out in an attempt to sound different. It comes very naturally to Jens though, and makes this a super classy performance. Jens remains just so damn good at making portraits of life occurrences you wouldn't expect to take notice of. In this case, it's smelling a perfume and remembering a vacation. Yea, we've been there Jens, and it's wonderful.
On "Our First Fight", Jens tones it down quite a bit. This may be the most somber sounding track here, but with a topic like this one, that's probably a good time to tone it down. Jens may continue to weave great stories, but this one falls a little short for me. It's just as solid of a performance, but instrumentally this one just fly's right by. This reminds me way too much of the material on "I Know What Love Isn't", which did little to nothing for me. Yes there are still plenty of adorable and sweet lyrical moments though that redeem it a little, but this is still not what I'm looking for from Jens. Up next is "Wedding in Finistère", and if you're a fan of the more World Music influence, this is a track you're going to want to check out. This is easily the most confident sounding track here so far as far as Jens's performance goes. His voice has seriously aged wonderfully, since he usually takes so long between albums I really never know how he's going to sound. But his performance here is sweet and just as admirable as it was many years ago. The chorus on "Wedding in Finistère" is easily one of the most memorable of the entire album. As long as Jens continues on with these kind of tracks and stays the hell away from folk tracks, this can end up being a really fantastic album. Up next is "How We Met, The Long Version", which honestly from these opening notes sounds like a direct cover of The Doobie Brothers "What A Fool Believes". Now that we can move on from THAT, this disco vibe Jens is experimenting with here is absolutely a must continue for him. This is all just coming off so smoothly and effortlessly with his already established sound. Lyrically, this is a hard u-turn for Jens as hes talking about the earth and what it's made up of. Honestly, I have no idea what he's getting at, but it works nicely with the feel of everything. There's certainly a very cosmic feel in these instrumentals, and those horn sections are absolutely to die for. I can't help but be completely swept up in the atmosphere of "How We Met, The Long Version". Towards the end of the track, Jens loses it a little with that awful semi-rap verse and that entire story about the bass guitar. But the rest of this track is just so fantastic that I can't help but say no. This album however isn't without it's flaws, I really should have kept my mouth shut about folk songs, because I can't stand "How Can I Tell Him". I feel like when Jens goes for these songs, it changes who he is completely as an artist. Certainly there are tons of really sweet lyrical moments still, and when the other instrumentals pop in things absolutely pick up. But overall I just can't stand Jens in this environment and I certainly can't take it seriously. While lyrically it's on point and instrumentally it's stunning, overall this just comes off a little goofy, and it's a shame.
The ending to this album is a little messy. First we have the unbelievable "Postcard #17". This track has such a somber tone to it, but holy hell each of these piano chords are just pounding away at my soul. If Jens wants to go for a softer jam, THIS is what he needs to be going for, not some folk track. This is just such a sentimental, sweet tune. We've had plenty of personal stories all through here, but nowhere near as deep or as hard hitting as this. Lyrically, Jens brought out his ! game on this one, painting unbelievably vibrant pictures. If Jens wanted to take this approach, I would be so much more inviting to some of his slower stuff. Honestly, "Postcard #17" might just be my favorite track here. All of these great things to say, and then Jens wants to give me "Dandelion Seed" as an outro. Right from the start of this one I've got some iffy vibes. I really do love Jens's music, but when he goes into these tracks of him alone with an acoustic guitar it just gets so damn cheesy. Once again, there's plenty to like about this track. From the sweet instrumentals to the return of the obvious world music influences, there are a bunch of great elements. Personally though, I feel like "Postcard #17" would have been just so much better as a finale.
Rating: 8.1/10
Give A Listen To:"Evening Prayer", "What's That Perfume You Wear?", "Postcard #17", "How We Met, The Long Version"
Overall Thoughts: To put it bluntly, Jens Lekman's strengths continue to be his strengths, and his weaknesses continue to be his weaknesses. Here, Jens writes some of his most colorful, vibrant pop tunes in years, with a snappy new semi-disco vibe. However, his slower songs continue to be very hit or miss. That being said, I still think this is Jens' most solid project in years.
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