Video Premiere: Lykke Li - Sadness Is A Blessing

Extra Flares: Lykke Li - I Follow Rivers (Live On The Moon)

Reminding people how talented she is

Buy her album Wounded Rhymes NOW!!!

Dim: Lykke Li - Wounded Rhymes

Returning to the album game three years after the charmingly curious Youth Novels, Lykke Li Zachrisson has grown up and moved away a little bit from the rather timid, waifish, precocious young woman of her debut. She hasn't entirely let go of her girlish sweetness, and she certainly hasn't lost her way with a melodic hook, but she's largely outgrown the more cloyingly precious, occasionally clumsy tendencies that sometimes plagued her debut, and her singing voice, while still appealingly personable and distinctive, has gotten considerably more forceful. Indeed, despite its vulnerable title, Wounded Rhymes practically oozes confidence, barreling out of the gate with the swaggering, rabble-rousing "Youth Knows No Pain," all in-the-red handclaps, hip-shaking drums and tambourines, and downright nasty, psych-damaged organ, as Li sneeringly exhorts us to "C'mon honey, blow yourself to pieces." Even with a roughly even ratio of ballads to rockers, and a fair complement of woebegone lyrics, there's a similar sense of toughness throughout. But it's a fleshy, lived-in toughness, equally unabashed about declarations of love (the deeply romantic "I Follow Rivers," the powerfully passionate "Love out of Lust," and the borderline obsessive "Jerome"), and provocations like the fierce, sexually aggressive "Get Some." Musically, Li and returning producer/co-writer Bjorn Yttling (of Peter Bjorn and John) use the bare-bones, rhythmically oriented textures of Youth Novels (and of his band's 2009 album Living Thing) as a springboard, keeping starkly intimate vocals, clattering drums, and all manner of oddball percussion sounds at the forefront (check "Rivers"' fetchingly wonky, detuned xylophone riff), but they flesh things out somewhat with guitars and organs, frequently multiplying Li's voice to create an ad hoc backup choir, resulting in a considerably fuller-sounding effort that still feels grittily immediate and raw. Rhymes also reveals, and revels in, Li's fondness for '50s and '60s rock and pop, hearkening equally to classic girl group sounds and harder-edged garage rock. In fact, she and Yttling pull out just about every time-worn trick in the throwback pop playbook: doo wop arpeggios and "shoo-wop shoo-wop" backups on the gentle "Unrequited Love," a thunderous Bo Diddley beat and tremulous spy/surf guitar on "Get Some," seedy "96 Tears"-derived organ on "Rich Kid Blues," and "Be My Baby" drums, and Spector-ian orchestra bells on the big ballad centerpiece "Sadness Is a Blessing." But despite that plethora of knowing musical allusions, this is by no means a stale, cut-and-dried retro affair. On the contrary: it's an inspired, rugged, smart, emotive, coolly modern piece of indie pop, and an improvement on Lykke Li's debut in just about every respect.

Based on Critics - 43/50

Based on Public - 35/50

Based on Album Planning - 5/50

Based on Pop Flares - 40/50

Overall:

A low overall rating doesn't mean the album is no good. In the world of commercial success and in the POP era, she just fell short in her album promoting but the quality of the album is really good.

[I Don't Mind Being Thanks]

Album: Lykke Li - Wounded Rhymes

Wounded Rhymes is the second studio album by Swedish recording
artist Lykke Li. It is due to be released in Unites States on 1 March 2011,


 "There's less atmosphere, more directness. I was 19 when I recorded my first album, and
I've been exposed to many things during these last few years; all the baby fat is gone. I
dove into the craziness and did things that maybe I would think twice about when I get older.
And I'm a really restless person; I'm tired of the way I sounded or looked yesterday.
So it's hard to hang onto this image of me as this young Swedish female in this world.
People comment on how you look, it's so unnecessary. I just wanted people to listen
to what I have to say instead of focusing on anything else. And, of course, there are a
lot of things I'm angry about in the world."

Download on the player!!!

[I Don't Mind Being Thanks]

Song: Lykke Li - Love Out Of Lust

Love Out of Lust is a song off Lykke Li upcoming album, Wounded Rhymes.

Download on The Player!!!!

[I Don't Mind Being Thanks]

Video Premiere: Lykke Li - I Follow Rivers

[I Don't Mind Being Thanks]

Song: Lykke Li - I Follow Rivers

Swedish singer-songwriter Lykke Li will finally release her sophomore album "Wounded Rhymes" set to be released on February 28th in the UK and March 1st in US. We've already received the single and video for "Get Some," the first offering from the new effort and now we have the new single "I Follow Rivers". The track is a lot more soulful and definitely less aggressive then "Get Some" but still incorporates the organic sounds that are essential in a Lykke Li track.

Follow the bird to download!!!

[I Don't Mind Being Thanks]

News: Lykke Li - Wounded Rhymes

Track Listing:

01 Youth Knows No Pain 

02 I Follow Rivers 

03 Love Out Of Lust 

04 Unrequited Love 

05 Get Some

06 Rich Kid Blues 

07 Sadness Is A Blessing 

08 I Know Places 

09 Jerome 

10 Silent My Song

[I Don't Mind Being Thanks]

Video Premiere: Lykke Li - Get Some

[I Don't Mind Being Thanks]