Review Summary: Inconsistent music saved by the wit and personality of its protagonist
As far as breakup albums go, I know who I'd rather have sitting on the edge of my bed passing me the tissues and fetching my ice cream. It wouldn't be Kanye West serenading me with his 808s and Heartbreak, claiming he had the greatest breakup of all time.
No, it would be this affable young Swedish gent, Jens Lekman, with his latest release, I Know What Love Isn't. Jens plays a traditional form of pop, stylistically shifting from attempts at Sinatra-esque croons, to gentle, emotive lullabies. He's far from the greatest singer in the world, but his voice reflects the modesty shown in his lyrics.
Jens Lekman's previous full length "Night falls over Kortedala" was a variety show of sounds and instrumentation, and his last single "An argument with myself" is in my opinion one of the finest songs released in 2011, one that I keep coming back to for its upbeat African sounding jaunt and its dense and hilarious lyrics.
Thus I was surprised to hear the sounds on this album. The track themes swirl around the various aspects of a dissolving relationship through the oddball lens of Jens. Gone are the lush orchestral arrangements from Kortedala, most of these tracks are made up of guitar, drums,bass, piano and cheesy saxophone solos.
Musically the album is a smooth ride. There is nothing too edgy to be found here, just simple, mostly inoffensive melodies and hooks you can sing along with.
Erica America is the first full track on the album. This seems to have gotten a lot of love when it leaked a few months before the release date, but to me the syncopated rhythm never allows the song to break free and groove out, until a welcome sax solo towards the end finally releases the reins a little. However, like many of the songs on the album, it coasts on Jens' personality. The chorus is thought provoking and sticks in your head for days-
"Erica America
I wish I’d never met you
Like I wish I’d never tasted wine
Or tasted it from lips that weren’t mine
Now every drop tastes more bitter all the time"
It is followed with the obscenely catchy and bittersweet "Become someone else's", which tells the unenviable tale of an ex-partner moving on, via the medium of brain-burrowing, twinkly piano line. This is one of the tracks I always come back to and it ends with one of my favourite quotes from the album - while his ex has become someone else's, Jens states he is "Sleeping on my arm till it becomes someone else's".
The slower, more downbeat songs break up the flow of this album, and when it is paired with unremarkable lyrics, you are left with the low point of the album "She just don't want to be with you". Instrumentally it is pleasant enough, but Jens provides an uncharacteristically irritating hook.
A sad song done right would be "I want a pair of cowboy boots" because although the chord progressions and melody are fairly generic, Jens' cynicism is in top form with lines like-
"Just buy me a drink
So I can refuse
To raise my glass"
The highlight of the second half is the title track, where Jens proposes to his platonic friend, for the purposes of getting citizenship. This is a somewhat romantic idea to Jens, because "I kinda like the idea of a relationship, that doesn't lie about its intentions". Ouch. Musically, it oozes charm and is just plain adorable.
Overall, I Know What Love Isn't is musically patchy and rarely reaches the heights of his previous material, but it is held together by the wit and unique perspective of its protagonist Jens Lekman. There are a handful of tracks on here that are pleasantly addictive, and even the tracks that are weaker musically are full of golden nuggets of wit and humour that reward repeat listens. For those uninitiated to Jens Lekman, I would start with his previous work, but if you are looking for something a little more subdued, I would give this a try.
