Sunday, August 17, 2008

It's about time for a Jens Lekman post


Well, I've put it off for long enough. It's time for Jens Lekman.

Lekman, from Sweden, is a modern day minstrel. He is a romantic, in every sense of the world. When I saw him in Boston this April, he reminded me of a royal renaissance entertainer more than a 21st century pop musician. The love and melancholy inherent in his songs bring to mind madrigal tunes, and his affable sense of humor recalls a court jester. Even his clothing -- the old, generic key dangling around his neck and his shiny white slipper shoes -- evoked that of a Shakespeare contemporary.

Jens is primarily a story-teller. He has the rare talent, perhaps shared only by The Magnetic Fields' Stephin Merritt, of being not only concise and lyrical, but of making a point in his songs. His live performance of story songs like "A Postcard to Nina" and "Black Cab" only confirm this assertion. "Don't let anyone stand in your way!" he cries at the end of the former.

The music is rich, and Jens is dreamy, so listen up!

Jens Lekman - Shirin (Night Falls over Kortedala, 2008)

Jens Lekman - Black Cab (Oh You're So Silent, Jens, 2005)

BUY Night Falls over Kortedala

Go here for Jens Lekman guitar tabs and his fan site

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P.S. I will be away on vacation this week, trying not to be sad. So, I may not be posting as frequently as I have. If you want some really juicy stuff to read, head over to the Hipster Doucheblog. They are experiencing a momentous revival.

(The pressure's on, BK and Jesse!)

Or, you could just read the consistently good Blogged Drainpipe.

Or, you could go to the best site ever.

4 comments:

Unknown said...

Hey, thanks for the Jens Lekman. I think I could get into listening to him again...I've been listening to Andrew Bird, so maybe I'll keep trending in that direction. But even if I don't, I'll be thankful that I'm (mostly) out of my goth/angst phase...

I refuse to read any other blogs --especially those written by douchebags. Unless, perhaps, they compensate me accordingly...cookies?

Jesse said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Jesse said...

cookies? no problem. we treat our readers right over here at the hipster doucheblog.

Unknown said...

I am happy Allison is out of her angst phase. It would not have made family bonding easy.

I just want to tell all the readers out there that I wore my Jens Lekman t-shirt today. I felt like a minstrel. I felt like Shakespeare.