Lykke Li

Youth Novels (LL Recordings)

Lykke Li left South by Southwest 08 in a trail of “awww.” The 22-year-old Swedish singer, already a hit in her homeland, deserves a closer reading on debut LP Youth Novels. It opens with “Melodies & Desires,” glacial synth chiming as she instructs, “You’ll be the rhythm, and I’ll be the beat,” hair swinging in slo-mo. Producer Björn Yttling’s (Peter Bjorn & John) minimal pop arrangements give Li room to purr on the provocative single “Little Bit” and lend a self-possessed strut to “Dance, Dance, Dance,” sax solos and piano only accents. Things get perplexing on “I’m Good, I’m Gone,” which sounds like something you’d hear while shopping at Wet Seal. Li’s love of Euro-club could mean nylon-legging purgatory (like the cheesy “Complaint Department”) if not for her range elsewhere, like the charming Nordic-pop chorus of “My Love” and Kate Bush-nod “Hanging High.” Her confidence trumps cute here.

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This article appears in August 29 • 2008.

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