Jens Lekman: Oh, You’re So Silent, Jens

I first learned about the little-known magic that Jens Lekman makes during an interview with some adorable local Boston heroes known as Pants Yell! Slipping into Jens Lekman’s world was like climbing into a warm bath after a long day.

With influences like Belle and Sebastian and Morrisey, Lekman makes dreamy pop laced with samples from bands like TV Personalities, Arab Strap, and the ubiquitous Belle and Sebastian.

Instead of building his songs around these samples, Lekman manages to strip the sounds back and reveal them like tiny gurgling streams in the underbrush. This stripped back approach makes it apparent that the lyrics Lekman selects are often absurd. On “Sky Phenomenon,” for instance, he sadly and seriously sings: “Flock of birds in the sky/Flying south they know this place will die/And I wish they could take me with them/But I wouldn’t be accepted/‘cause I can’t dance the funky chicken.” Somehow, though, when he does it, it’s perfectly acceptable and even elicits some sympathy from the listener.

As much as I adore Oh, You’re So Silent, Jens (and I do), the song “F-word” is just absolutely ridiculous. Beginning with a gorgeous cello line that sounds like something that would be quite at home on Smog’s Knock Knock album, the singsongy chorus about the so-called “F-word” and the drawn-out meows that follow are just too much. You’ll have to hear it to believe it. Thankfully, though, it’s relatively easily overlooked.

- Emily Villemaire
Jens Lekman (Secretly Canadian)