Wounded Rhymes- Lykke Li

None blacker for Scandanavian chentuese’s second...

In you case you don’t recognise the name; Lykke Li is responsible for one of the best pop debuts in recent memory- 2008’s Youth Novels. However, coming to prominence at the same time as fellow Swede Robyn meant Li’s brand of sweet and edgy pop failed to make an impact of the wider public.

Second time around, Wounded Rhymes is everything a great sophomore effort should be: darker, more mature and willing to explore new territory. Out go the coquettish and coy lyrics, leaving behind the more throwaway acoustic laments, and in comes deadpan humour, and songs dripping in dead-eyed sex and heartbreak.

Last year’s first taster Get Some was a great omen for Wounded Rhymes. Dark, brooding and intense, it’s beautifully out of step with modern pop trends: far from gleaming, it’s rough and raw. With a powerhouse beat and huge chorus, it’s the song that finds Lykke Li move from girl to woman, reclaiming her sexuality as “your prostitute”.

It’s a big act to live up to, and sadly nothing else on the record quite reaches these dizzying pop heights, but there’s still plenty to savour. Second single I Follow Rivers and opening gambit Youth Knows No Pain show off a new found ambition, with more choruses purpose built for the Radio 1 playlist. Everything else finds the album is shrouded in gloom, and it’s the most downbeat moments that stick in the head the most. Unrequited Love and Sadness Is A Blessing are especially sad, while Jerome and Silent My Song showcase a damaged and hurt person, but one fully in control of her own emotions.

The comparisons to Robyn are perhaps inevitable. Although she shares her nous for a pop song and all-conquering independence, gothic hints and a more earthy version of the hurt bruised sensuality of Kate Bush combine to make Lykke Li an original artist all of her own.

4/5

Best Tracks:
Get Some
Unrequinted Love
Jerome
Sadness Is A Blessing