The Swedish have invaded Morphizm! Between Lykke Li and Kristoffer Ragnstam, I’m drowning in the alphabet and pining for the days of Ingmar Bergman. But the better news is both efforts don’t suck at all. They are actually very entertaining, for different reasons, as I explained on Metromix recently. Suck that, ABBA!
Kristoffer Ragnstam, Wrong Side of the Room
Wrong Side of Room quickly worms its way into your good graces. The dirty grind of the title track is a bluesy tumble. “2008” is a self-conscious laugher—”Nothing bores me more than an overrated poet/With an acoustic guitar and way too much to say,” Ragnstam sings at its beginning—that is as jittery as it is refreshing. “Sorry for Being the Man of 1,000 Questions” merges his whispered snark with a spare digital thump. It’s all too much fun. MORE
Lykke Li, Youth Novels
Youth Novels is aptly named, filled as it is with drama and lust. The opener “Melodies and Desires” is a poetic how-to manual on love, set to raindrop piano and subdued orchestration. The literate, subtle thump of “Window Blues” builds to a climax that never arrives. Li channels David Lynch, adopting a Julee Cruise whisper through the creepy “Time Flies.” “My Love” is a deranged anthem, backed by neurotic horns and strings, that deserves psychoanalysis. MORE
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