Search - Lykke Li :: Little Bit [EP]

Bill H. (simonsaysrebel) from SPOKANE VLY, WA
Reviewed on 8/7/2009...

(forgive the absence of caps. recovering from an operation.)
this is a unique artist whose medium is pop. i try to choose artists whose music makes me think again about what good music is. radiohead redefines it well, lykke li is possibly such an artist. i say this for one reason, namely that even pop from her defies comparison. i have it on some authority that her music is not good or enjoyable, but i enjoy it anyway. maybe some who read this review can relate concerning some artist or group in their quirky playlist. in short, lykke li is worth a listen, if for no other reason than to learn what is not, to those ears, music. she's music to mine!

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Lykke li so

E. A Solinas | MD USA | 05/10/2008

(4 out of 5 stars)

"For the record, Lykke Li has one of the most punnish stage names in all of the pop world.



Fortunately that is no reflection on the talents of this fledgling Swedish singer (real name: Li Lykke Timotej Zachrisson), her high sweet voice, and her wintry electro-folkpop. And for those who are interested in a more sugary Sia or a more childlike El Perro Del Mar, the "Little Bit" EP is a solid introduction to her music.



It opens with a hollow kettle drum, as if it's testing to see if we can hear it. Similarly, Lykke Li starts going "ooh, ooh ooh," as guitar flutters and electro beats kick in.



"Hands down/I'm too proud for love/but with eyes shut/it's you I'm thinking of," she sings wistfully in a little sugar-candy voice. The vaguely Spanish guitar takes over the chorus as she announces a little quietly, "I would do it/push a button/pull a trigger/climb a mountain/jump off a cliff/'cause you know baby/I love you love you a little bit..."



Follow it up with "Dance Dance Dance," which is a bit too mellow to live up to its name. Instead, it's a little misty guitar melody, with a shy declaration of love: "So when I trip on my feet/look at the beat/it was all/written in the sand/when I'm shaking my hips/look for the swing/it was all/written in the air..." It's just so cute.



It's followed by the murky prettiness of "Everybody But Me," with its gentle jazzy drums and a layer of soft, pale synth. This is the only one that isn't love-related -- it's all about bars, clubs, and how "And everybody's dancing... everybody's toying... everybody's laughing/and I don't want to... They wanna take me home without knowing my name/They wanna put me on/But do they not know is that I'm not like the others?"



That one is actually catchier than the ones before it, but it's followed by a far quieter finale -- "Time Flies," a hauntingly bittersweet little piano ballad that highlights Lykke Li's vocals like a museum case. "Stay a while, my baby wants me to/Don't you go, my baby begs me so/But tide will dry, upon my baby's back..."



There's something incredibly sweet, fragile and innocent about Lykke Li's little debut EP -- all four songs of it. I'm not sure why her music seems this way, if you compare her to El Perro Del Mar, Sia and Stina Nordenstam. But listening to this EP, it's hard not to be struck by its sheer prettiness -- vocally, musically and in the simple little lyrics.



Much of that prettiness comes from Lykke Li's vocals. This girl has a voice of spun glass and sunlit icicles, and regardless of what she sings she sounds incredibly sweet and fragile. But it's also the sweet simplicity of her lyrics -- the absence of love is painful, while its presence brings you shyness, joy and defensiveness . Nah, they're not too complex, but they are adorable -- just look at the one about communicating love through dance.



And her music is also very pretty -- we've got a bit of jazz, a bit of indie pop, and a veil of pale, soft electronica laid over it all. This EP shows off the range of musical instruments used -- you can hear some half-smothered saxophone, a Spanish-flavoured acoustic guitar, a xylophone, and a gentle piano melody that dominates the last song.



"Little Bit" is just a little bit of Lykke Li's music, and the wistful, sweet little pop melodies are definitely worth hearing. Let's hope she breaks out in full, so we can keep hearing this."