Swedish singer-songwriter Lykke Li may have just released one of the best albums of 2014 thus far.
With songs that convey realistic struggles, her third studio album “I Never Learn” manages to balance seemingly simple production with complex themes.
While female singers like Katy Perry and Lana Del Rey cater to the imaginations of teenage youth, Lykke Li offers a relatable glimpse into the often confusing aspects of relationships and personal happiness. Make no mistake, though; the songs featured on “I Never Learn” deliver these themes with catchy tenacity and fluid production.
Lead single, “No Rest For The Wicked,” guides the listener through an arrangement of subtle drums, a soft piano tune, and paradoxically calming, yet lurching, lyrics. Lykke Li sings lines such as “I let my good one down / I let my true love die / I had his heart, but I broke it every time” with such tranquil crooning that it may confuse the listener.
Perhaps the greatest attribute of the album is the way it offsets its indie-pop production with often cold lyricism. Songs like “Just Like A Dream” and “Love Me Like I’m Not Made Of Stone” base themselves off simple, almost-familiar guitar licks and drumming but subvert expectations with haunting thoughts delivered in beautifully-controlled singing.
“I Never Learn” strives to make the listener question the common tropes of romance and consider more realistic viewpoints. Such contradictory ferocity is welcome in today’s music. Lykke Li’s complexity is here to stay.
[A version of this story ran on page 11on 5/15/2014 under the headline "Lykke Li releases ‘I Never Learn,’ a dark riff on realistic romances"]
