Get Some – Lykke Li Get Some – Lykke Li // Buy

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What is it with Sweden producing awesome pop singers? It seems like everything coming out of the Nordic country these days is a nugget of creative, singular pop. Lykke Li’s (@lykkeliofficial) second album is no exception, continuing Sweden’s trend of great music and Li’s own trend of amazing female vocals and thumping greatness.

Wounded Rhymes is, really, the perfect title for Li’s sophomore record; there is no better way to describe the sound she creates. Li is typically up tempo, but by no means does that mean that she is up-beat. On the opener, “Youth Knows No Pain”, the tribal drums beat in the background and layer on top of each other, creating a singularly groovy track that still aches and groans with Li’s voice. It’s a spectacular track and an extraordinarily memorable opener. The best songs on the record are those that build on the beats established in the opener, the most notable being “Get Some” with the peculiar chorus of “I’m a Prostitute / You’re gonna get some.” She creates the world’s most tolerable drum circle with the backing beats, and the blunt line’s delivery changes what could be a lame line into a statement of power.

These giant songs, however, are placed into their context with the mellow, contemplative sadness that exudes through the rest of the record. On the beautiful “Unrequited Love,” a song with “shoo-ops” so languid they sound like they should be on a modern day The Ronettes record, Li let’s up on the drums and instead creates her wounded rhythms with a tinkling guitar and her own stunning vocals. Another of the many highlights on the record, “Sadness is a Blessing” uses Li’s tender vocals perfectly to create something that sounds at once delicate and enormous. It’s a song that is not so much an imitation of Phil Spector’s production style, but a perfect embodiment of it.

Li straddles the line between wounded and beautifully strong. She creates swirling highs and gorgeous lows effortlessly. The pop of Youth Novels is still present, she is too good at creating danceable indie-pop to abandon it completely, but the presence of quiet tracks allows for Li to show what an incredible songstress she is. It has taken almost three years for Lykke Li to produce this follow up record, and it was damn well worth the wait.