Monday, December 10, 2007

Sweeping The Nation Albums Of 2007: Number 21

Erm...

One of the criticisms levelled at the second album proper by lugubriously voiced Swede Lekman is that the lo-fi charm bolstered by samples of his much admired earlier work has been superceded with his signing to proper labels by the sort of recording budget by proper string and horn sections, whether live or recorded by someone else, that dilute its production values into a kind of retrogressive MOR, before the first vocal And I Remember Every Kiss already being subjected to rolling timpani and swelling strings. Actually, it's only a partial giving in even if you accept that, which we don't really due to the way Lekman makes it work for him (bar Sipping On The Sweet Nectar's guileless Barry Manilow hints) - even when that same song is exploding into brass fanfares like a budget Walker Brothers you'd hardly recognise it as a chorus and there's that old Lekman puppy dog romanticism about its key lyric "I'll never kiss anyone who doesn't burn me like the sun".

And whatever the surroundings, Lekman is still one of indiepop's great chroniclers of ordinary life, here through the prism of his tainted new surroundings in the Gothenburg suburb of the title. The Opposite Of Hallelujah matches a soul stomp like Berry Gordy remixing Postcard-era Orange Juice with lyrics about failing to articulate self-doubt, A Postcard To Nina is a gauchely observed tale of awkward graces as Lekman pretends to be a lesbian's boyfriend when she sees her parents. Your Arms Around Me makes sentimental capital from Lekman accidentally cutting his index finger slicing avocados when surprised by the titular loving event, even with a ukelele solo bridge. Shirin meanwhile is a song of love to his Iraqi immigrant hairdresser which, not content with changing pace and time signature completely just for the middle eight, features the lyric "what if it reaches the government/that you have a beauty salon in your own apartment?/I won’t tell anyone". The contemplative flute and xylophone-riven It Was A Strange Time In My Life tackles his own growing pains, pausing for a near-acapella central section in which he declares "Most shy people I know are extremely boring/Either that or they are miserable from all the shit they've been storing". Unusually it's the last track at which the album hits uptempo paydirt, Friday Night At The Drive-In Bingo documenting life as a city boy in a Swedish country village (Lekman worked in a bingo hall during a career break) and bringing Lekman's singular personality to bear, as he does throughout to great effect.

LISTEN ON: Friday Night At The Drive-In Bingo
WATCH ON: Sipping On Sweet Nectar

**

My favourite album of 2007 is...

Gerry Del Guerico, SixNationState: "The Maccabees - Colour It In or The Good The Bad & The Queen. If I had to choose between the two (which it tears my heart to do) it would be The Good The Bad & The Queen."

Charles, Slow Club: "I reckon the Shins' new album is the only album I've been out and bought this year. It's pretty awesome, shame they stink live."

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

成人電影,情色,本土自拍, 美女交友, 嘟嘟成人網, 成人貼圖, 成人電影, A片, 豆豆聊天室, 聊天室, UT聊天室, 尋夢園聊天室, 男同志聊天室, UT男同志聊天室, 聊天室尋夢園, 080聊天室, 080苗栗人聊天室, 6K聊天室, 女同志聊天室, 小高聊天室, 情色論壇, 色情網站, 成人網站, 成人論壇, 免費A片, 上班族聊天室, 成人聊天室, 成人小說, 微風成人區, 色美媚部落格, 成人文章, 成人圖片區, 免費成人影片, 成人論壇, 情色聊天室, 寄情築園小遊戲, AV女優,成人電影,情色,本土自拍, A片下載, 日本A片, 麗的色遊戲, 色色網, ,嘟嘟情人色網, 色情網站, 成人網站, 正妹牆, 正妹百人斬, aio,伊莉, 伊莉討論區, 成人遊戲, 成人影城,
ut聊天室,
免費A片, AV女優, 美女視訊, 情色交友, 免費AV, 色情網站, 辣妹視訊, 美女交友, 色情影片 成人影片, 成人網站, A片,H漫, 18成人, 成人圖片, 成人漫畫, 情色網,
日本A片, 愛情公寓, 情色, 舊情人, 情色貼圖, 情色文學, 情色交友, 色情聊天室, 色情小說, 一葉情貼圖片區, 情色小說, 色情, 色情遊戲, 情色視訊, 情色電影, aio交友愛情館, 色情a片, 一夜情, 辣妹視訊, 視訊聊天室, 免費視訊聊天, 免費視訊, 視訊, 視訊美女, 美女視訊, 視訊交友, 視訊聊天, 免費視訊聊天室, 情人視訊網影音視訊聊天室, 視訊交友90739, 成人影片, 成人交友, 本土自拍, 免費A片下載, 性愛,
成人交友, 嘟嘟成人網, 成人電影, 成人, 成人貼圖, 成人小說, 成人文章, 成人圖片區, 免費成人影片, 成人遊戲, 微風成人, 愛情公寓, 情色, 情色貼圖, 情色文學, 做愛, 色情聊天室, 色情小說, 一葉情貼圖片區, 情色小說, 色情, 寄情築園小遊戲, 色情遊戲情色視訊, 情色電影, aio交友愛情館, 言情小說, 愛情小說, 色情A片, 情色論壇, 色情影片, 視訊聊天室, 免費視訊聊天, 免費視訊, 視訊美女, 視訊交友, 視訊聊天, 免費視訊聊天室, a片下載, aV, av片, A漫, av dvd, av成人網, 聊天室, 成人論壇, 本土自拍, 自拍, A片,成人電影,情色,本土自拍,