Lykke Li - so sad so sexy

Lykke Li is a Swedish Pop star who's been working her way around the Indie Pop world for about 10 years now.  Now, when it came to her 2008 debut "Youth Novels" people hyped this album up to me to no extent.  But for the life of me, I've never been able to wrap my head around this album.  Lykke's voice and charm is there.  But almost everything else about this album is puzzling.  Lykke went for this Indie Pop flair with a sort of throwback Pop sound thrown in, which is usually something I go nuts for.  But for the most part I felt like this was an awkward debut album.  I did like some of the later tracks like "Little Bit" which showed Lykke embracing some more of her World music influences.  But at the time, Lykke to me just seemed a little faceless.  But by the time 2011's "Wounded Rhymes" came along, I would swear that Lykke 100% turned herself around.  A few short years earlier, Lykke came off like an absolute follower of this throwback Indie Pop sound.  But this new album had her getting a second wind and absolutely blowing past everyone else in the pack.  An adventurous attitude, songwriting that was a million times better, catchy hooks, and production that had Lykke sounding like a damn superstar, this album was AWESOME.  Lykke returned in 2014 with "I Never Learn", her biggest album to date.  This album almost had a Gothic flair to it, and in a way reminds me of the music of Zola Jesus.  Tracks like "No Rest For The Wicked" and "Gunshot" were gigantic anthems, and Lykke seemed more out of her shell then ever.  This was also a much more depressed and somber Lykke we got here.  Which yes, made this album slightly more one dimensional to an extent.  But as a whole, Lykke had never sounded better.  I'll be honest, I was actually pretty excited to hear this new album from Lykke.  Until I heard these singles.....all 6 of them.  Lykke is trying for something way out of reach and quite frankly it's embarrassing.  Let's chat.

(a personal favorite of mine!)

This album starts out with “hard rain”, what the HELL is with all of these lower case stylings recently?   It’s a very dramatic, sweet tune.  But right off the bat, between the multi-layered vocals and pristine production, this is far from where we left Lykke off.  There was a time where she was a truly fascinating character in Indie Pop.  But “hard rain” literally sounds tailor-made for a Tove Lo collaboration.  And no, that’s not the worst thing in the world, but man this is not where I want to hear Lykke.  This production is so flimsy, and her second verse fueled by all of those ridiculous vocal effect just come off so cheesy.  It’s practically laughable.  No, this is far from what I wanted to hear.  Not to mention, this just doesn’t even sound like Lykke, it sounds like any faceless Po Star going for a slightly edgy, alternative vibe. On the other hand, “deep end” is a little gloomier and darker.  But that’s a BIG “at least”.  Because we’ve completely left Indie Pop in the dust, this is a radio Pop tune if I’ve ever heard one.  It’s got some Trap inspired production, and sounds like something that Banks would have recorded with better production.  Now, as far as the performance goes, this is actually one of Lykke’s best here, by far.  I do feel like there’s some mystery here which I dig and all.  But outside of that, what even is this album?  What happened to that sound Lykke was really gaining some steam with?  With “two nights” featuring Aminé, this album just keeps going south by the second.  While Lykke’s emotions have always lead to a slew of very deep performances, this track is just too whiny for it’s own good.  This atmosphere isn’t chilling or dreary, it’s just flimsy and not interesting at all.  And Aminé’s verse just isn’t interesting, it’s just as cheesy as everything else here.  I don’t know what happened on “two nights”, but this album continues to be a travesty.   Then we have “last piece”, which comes off as an honest to God Lana Del Rey cover, and one that’s just not good.  The slow, dreary, dreamy vibe isn’t that bad.  But it just sounds like Lykke is putting way too much of an act on.  And some of these lyrics are just so juvenile and not where I want to hear Lykke at all.  Her emotions once lead to anthems, but this is depressing. 
Then we have “jaguars in the air”, and at this point in the album trust me I really don’t want to hear an ultra-cheesy guitar ballad.  But ironically, it’s one of the lesser evils here.  Lykke’s performance is still walking a very thin line between obnoxious and aggravating. And this is still a note or two away from being a radio-groomed pop tune.  But outside of that, I actually think as far as a dreamy, dreary Pop tune goes, this is one of the best tracks of the bunch.  It’s got some spunk and attitude to it, and it does stick with you.  But we’re halfway through the album, and Lykke Li is still forcing me to make excuses for her, which is not the boat she should be in on her fourth album. But instantly, I’m right back to this very grimy sounds with “sex money feelings die”.  Lykke here sadly sounds abysmal.  I feel like this is some trashy Trap one-hit wonder, which is not what I showed up for at all.  And you know what, if it was performed well I would let it slide.  But this is literally one of the worst tunes I’ve heard all year.  Lykke was once completely in tune with her emotions, and used them to craft very dark, Indie Pop anthems.  “sex money feelings die” is absolute garbage, and Lykke doesn’t even come off as likable anymore.  This album rolls on with another very gloomy club track in the form of “so sad so sexy”. I mean, I’m up for a breakup album any day.  But Lykke is going out of her way to make this as unbearable as you can imagine.  The synths are a really nice touch and all.  But the songwriting here has Lykke Li sounding like an absolute amateur, not something I’m happy about.  I literally feel like at this point I have the same issues with each track.  Now, at the very least “better alone” is actually sort of dark and has a few of the same vibes that we got on Lykke’s last project.  I still feel like this is way too pristine for my liking, but I can appreciate this.  Not to mention, Lykke’s performance here is so much more authentic then some of her other ones here.  Not to mention, she comes off infinitely more likable.  She’s not whining nearly as much, she’s making a genuine statement.  Whether or not you agree with it is up to you.  But Lykke for the first time on this album is really sounding like herself.  It only took her 8 tracks.
Sadly though, with “bad woman”, this album has hit a new level.  And no, it’s not a good level.  We have more lines here about how Lykke is a, you guessed it, “bad woman”.  And if you think she backs it up at all, then you haven’t been paying any attention at all.  The production here absolutely sucks, her performance is childish and boring, and I’m just dying for a shift up in the atmosphere at this point.  And songwriting, my friends that ship has sailed.  This sounds like it was written by a 5-year-old.  And for a finale, “utopia” isn’t any better.  Lykke literally takes this time to break out her fucking guitar.  And these vocal effects are just so cheesy.  Once again, I feel like an actual child wrote this, that’s how beyond juvenile this one is.  It’s shallow, and by far the worst thing Lykke has ever touched.  

Rating: 5.2/10

Give A Listen To: "deep end", "jaguars in the air", "better alone", 

Least Favorite Track: "sex money feelings die"

Genre: Indie Pop

Overall Thoughts: After a few albums of crafting her sound and becoming one of the most passionate and well-rounded voices in Indie-Pop, Lykke Li proceeds to throw it all out of the window.  Very quickly.  This is barely an Indie Pop album, this sounds like any Pop songstress trying to go for a more nocturnal sounding album and bringing in elements of Trap.  No, it's not pretty, it's actually the worst album I've heard this year.  Lykke's songwriting is laughable, sounding like a child wrote half of these songs.  And in general, she just comes off remarkably unlikable.