I’ve been sleeping on Little Dragon, but I’m finally awake. And I’m highly intrigued. Half way through the album and it’s great. There’s so much good music in the world right now…
Little Dragon – “Constant Surprises”
Shout to my Swedish ancestry.
I’ve been meaning to make this post ever since Euro 2008 started and I watched my Swedish brethren (I was this close to having a Swedish first name, apparently “Torsten”…whew) play like bitches and fail to advance past the 1st round. A little bit before that, The Fader featured a great article on indie-pop’s next big thing, Swedish singer Lykke Li (pronounced “lickee lee”). I’d heard bits and pieces of her music before (shout to The Exactly for being one of the first hip-hop sites to feature her), but that article inspired me to check her out in full. She released her debut album earlier this year, Youth Novels, and as expected, she’s dope as hell. Y’all need to get familiar.
Sweden’s been a surprising hot spot for quality pop music over the years (this was my jam back in middle school, I ain’t ashamed), thanks in part to a refreshing respect the Swedes have for the genre. In essence, it’s a lot less disposable over there than we treat it here, and Lykke displays that in her music. While the on the surface, it embodies that traditional playful pop vibe, there’s also a deeper emotional level in the way she sings about heartbreak and disappointment. She’s not outwardly sexy like our stars aim to be, but there’s something sultry about her style and her voice when she sings lines like “…and for you I keep my legs apart/and forget about my tainted heart.” Damn…and that’s just on the single, “Little Bit.” Perhaps it’s the Scandinavian blond thing, but I feel like her stuff sounds like what Scarlett Johansson wishes she could make (when she’s not covering Tom Waits). Anyway, peep her first two videos and download the mp3’s:
Lykke Li – “I’m Good, I’m Gone”
You have to love Swedish people…I mean, really.
Hit the jump to watch some other ridiculously cool performances and download a ton of bonus tracks/remixes. I’ll toss in a few of my favorite cuts off Youth Novels too. I don’t want to post the whole thing, but if you want to check it out, shoot me an email and you might get a present back in return. DJHyphen@gmail.com.