Sunday, March 27, 2011

"Sadness is my boyfriend": Lykke Li - Wounded Rhymes

Lykke Li's first lp, Youth Novels, piqued my attention with its interestingly sparse, rhythm & melody popisms, but despite a handful of stand-out songs, didn't really sink into my musical landscape; her second, Wounded Rhymes, while in some respects quite different, has taken me in a similar way.

For me, the highlight is "Sadness is a Blessing", the most overt of several homages to classic girl-group pop on the record; also outstanding are the shuffle 'n' snap of tracks like "Rich Kids Blues" and "Jerome". And there are other good moments, too, and not really any obvious low points - but somehow the whole doesn't really inspire. Still, I guess, I do like it quite a bit and sometimes bits get stuck in my head for a while, and you know, greatness doesn't lie under every bushel so overall the record is still well ahead of the game, etc.