Lykke Li "I Never Learn" (2014)

I Never Learn
release date: May 5, 2014
format: cd
[album rate 3,5 / 5] [3,62]
producer: Greg Kurstin, Lykke Li, Björn Yttling
label: LL Recordings - nationality: Sweden

Track highlights: 1. "I Never Learn" - 2. "No Rest for the Wicked" (4 / 5) - 3. "Just Like a Dream" - 5. "Gunshot" (4 / 5) - 7. "Never Gonna Love Again" (4 / 5) - 9. "Sleeping Alone"

3rd album by Swedish art pop artist Lykke Li released on her own label LL Recordings and produced by Greg Kurstin, Björn Yttling, and Lykke Li. Like was the case between her first two solo albums this one has been three years under its way, and all three albums are very distinct. The debut Youth Novels (2008) is her so far most electronic art pop shaped, and with the second Wounded Rhymes (2011) she took a step into indie folk, and with this she now embraces chamber pop - all being also singer / songwriter releases. Her style is in family with other Scandinavian art pop artists like Norwegian Anne Marie Almedal, Danish Agnes Obel and Oh Land, as well as Swedish Amanda Jenssen, but with this album, I think she's almost in a league of her own. Last year, Agnes Obel made a fine second album release but apart from that, none of the aforementioned reach the same level of quality. In my mind, this is her best album so far, even surpassing her critically acclaimed Wounded Rhymes.
[ allmusic.com, Mojo 4 / 5, Rolling Stone 3,5 / 5, NME, Spin 3 / 5 stars ]

Lykke Li - Du är den ende (2014), single

"Du är den ende", single
release date: Mar. 12, 2014
[single rate: 3,5 / 5]

A single track release from "Tommy", a film by Swedish film director Tarik Saleh featuring Lykke Li in a supporting role.

Lykke Li "Youth Novels" (2008)

Youth Novels [debut]
release date: Jan. 30, 2008
format: cd
[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,36]
producer: Björn Yttling, Lasse Mårtén
label: LL Recordings - nationality: Sweden

Track highlights: 2. "Dance, Dance, Dance" - 3. "I'm Good, I'm Gone" - 4. "Let It Fall" - 6. "Tonight" - 7. "Little Bit" - 11. "Breaking It Up"

Full length studio album debut following the 2007 ep Little Bit by Swedish singer and songwriter Lykke Li [full name: Li Lykke Timotej Zachrisson, daughter of photographer Kärsti Stiege and guitarist Johan 'Zilverzurfarn' Zachrisson of the Swedish band Dag Vag]. All three songs from her debut ep are included on this album [tracks #7, #12 and #13]. Most songs are written with producer and multi-instrumentalist Björn Yttling. Initially, the album was issued in Sweden only but it had its international release in June with the addition of two songs [tracks #6 & #12].
The music is predominantly an art pop release with different influences that dominate specific tracks with soul, indietronica and chamber pop as the most evident styles.
I only came across this album after listening to her acclaimed follow-up album Wounded Rhymes from 2011, and what strikes me about Youth Novels is that it's a rather different album with much more focus on indietronica - or perhaps more precisely: a broader album that only seems harder to label.
Generally, the album was met by positive reviews - in Sweden but also internationally, and Li and the album was nominated in five categories at the Swedish Grammis reward show in 2005.
I like the tone and mood it facilitates but don't find it as accessible as her later works, although, it's evident that it has obvious qualities in terms of artistic originality. What I find lacking are simply a bunch of memorable tunes, though I think that some compositions echo drafts to later successes.
All in all the album is a nice and warm uplifting debut.
[ allmusic.com, NME, The Times 4 / 5, Rolling Stone, Spin 3,5 / 5 stars ]