While I’m super sweet on many Swedes — Robyn, Roxette, ABBA, Ace of Base, Max Martin, Kleerup, to name six names that immediately spring to mind — I’ve been lukewarm about Lykke Li. Upon the release of her 2008 debut album, Youth Novels, I shared my reservations about the fast-rising indie darling.
On her own, Li’s music is typically too ethereal for my tastes. But the intervening years have also found the singer teaming up with Röyksopp and the aforementioned Kleerup on their respective albums, and I’ve enjoyed her vocal collaborations much more. The lesson: Lykee Li is much better with a beat.
That’s why today’s release of Lykke Li’s new single “Get Some” demands attention, not only because it’s a free download. Possessing a muscular rhythm and a sexual confidence reminiscent of Nancy Sinatra’s “These Boots Are Made For Walking,” Li’s mover and a shaker of a song climaxes in the chorus with this classy come-on: “I’m your prostitute, you gon’ get some.” Now there’s a side of the singer we haven’t heard before.
But since it’s Lykke Li, you see, she makes it all sound so much sweeter. Hear here:
Lest Lykke Li’s already adoring fans think the girl’s gone and lost her mind, the flip side, “Paris Blue,” is the emotional opposite of “Get Some.” This tune of crashing heartache should more closely meet those previous expectations (though I quite like it too).
Free download of Lykke Li – “Get Some” / “Paris Blue.”