Spring break is over. Tans are fading and the workload is starting to build up again. What everyone needs is a California-surfer-chick kick to ensure that there will be sun again. Unfortunately (or fortunately?), Katy Perry is not available, but the Swedish songstress Lykke Li is here to cure the post-solar depression. She may not be a native California crooner, but her newest album, Wounded Rhymes, sure makes her sound like one.
Lykke Li
Wounded Rhymes
LL
After writing Wounded Rhymes in Los Angeles, Li slips into a more sultry and “chill” tone à la Best Coast on her latest release, with a wave-like and lo-fi vibe. Influenced by her new surroundings, the singer-songwriter pays tribute to the West Coast with a retro feel complete with playful tribal percussion and high-pitched tambourines that play off each other to create a sunny feel.
However, Lykke Li doesn’t let the overcast side of her music go unnoticed, as she explores the tragedy of young love’s lust. On the song “Sadness Is A Blessing,” she sings, “I dream of times when you were mine so I / Can keep it like a haunting / Heart beating close to mine.“ If her 2008’s Youth Novels was a peppy disco ride, then Wounded Rhymes is its melancholic older sister.
This album shows a clear growth in Li’s maturity, and not just through her life experiences — but through her sound too. Produced by fellow Swede Björn Yttling (of Peter Bjorn and John), Wounded Rhymes is a cohesive and conclusive piece of work. As the album title suggests, Li tries to patch up some of her stinging wounds from longing and desire through dismal lyrics and melodies. On the track “Love Out Of Lust,” she realizes that the higher she climbs in a yearning-filled relationship, the deeper she falls. Listeners can feel the pain in her lyrics and vocals as Li learns the hard way that love is a two-way street — though it often feels one-sided.
Still, the album isn’t all depressing. Li delivers a hint of her past with the primal-pop atmosphere of “I Follow Rivers” and “Youth Knows No Pain.” Listeners would never know Lykke Li was a Swedish sweetheart, as she sounds more sun-kissed than Scandinavian. The album also takes a ’60s surf-rock twist — with barbershop harmonies (“Shoo wap shoo wah”) on “Unrequited Love” — paired with a grungy-punk feel.
Wounded Rhymes also celebrates the young vivaciousness that comes with being a carefree 24-year-old. On “Youth Knows No Pain” Lykke Li sings, “With the wind in my hair, you’re free / Come on get down / Come get down / Make a mess, make a bow.” An exciting sexual charge runs through as she promises that listeners are going to “get some” on the track of that name.
As cool, calm and collected as she may seem, Lykke Li is just a typical girl with typical girl problems. She is aware of the pathetic nature of some relationships in “I’ll Follow You” and “Unrequited Love,” but is also fascinated by youth and the freedom that comes with it. The album is relatable to those who understand that — probably teenage girls with too much time to think.
While two weeks ago we were drowning in the spring break sun, now we are drowning in rain, sleet and snow. But with Lykke Li’s Wounded Rhymes, we can feel the California warmth, even though it has a tinge of despair. But hey — we’ll take it.