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Wednesday, February 25, 2009

Happy Go Lykke


Oh, hello there. Perhaps I should introduce myself. I'm Jumbo Slice. I'm the guy that moved to Austin and then disappeared from the blog for a while. I forgot to post reviews and such. A thousand apologies to Potsy who has been manning the ship while I've been lazy. Really, really lazy.

The other night I got an invitation from John from Side One Track One to see Lykke Li (Swedish for "likes to wear mom jeans"). Little Miss Lykke specializes in dancy electronica that's cute and quirky. Not the music I typically get into. However, I listened to her album (Youth Novels) and she has some very catchy tunes. There was also a lot of buzz leading up to the sold out show. Before the doors even opened at Antone's there was a long line kids waiting to get in. They got there early so they could claim a spot right next to the stage. I thought that was a little asinine until I remembered doing the same thing for Dead Milkmen shows when I was young.

I'll take sloppy garage rock over dance pop any day. However, I quite enjoyed this show. Lykke has a superstar quality that kept the kids enraptured throughout the night. The next time she plays Austin, it'll be at a much bigger venue. Tracks such as "Dance, Dance, Dance", "Little Bit", and "I'm Good, I'm Gone" were stand outs but others seemed like filler (John aptly described them as "Prom Ballads"). An uneven set like this is not unusual for someone with only one album. Overall, the songs sounded much better live than on record. The backing band added an energy and urgency. The album is very polished - almost too much. The live setting brought new life to the songs (particularly "Compliant Department" which is a bit of dud on record).

Thumbs up from me for Lykke Li. It was a good reminder to add some variety to the concerts I attend. Indie shows can become rote after a while so it's smart to mix it up sometimes.

Here's Lykke Li performing her opening song, "Dance, Dance, Dance". Take note of her huge LYKKE LI banner and her Stevie Nicks style of witchy dancing:

4 comments:

sacklunch said...

I think she opened for The Dodos when I saw them at DC9 last year. There were like 18 people in the room while she was playing. Sound was kind of washed out, so I had no real opinion. I think I listened to one song and then went downstairs for a drink. If I recall, she is kind of hot, no?

Jumbo Slice said...

You're thinking of Silje Nes. She's Norwegian. Lykke is Swedish. Both are pretty cute in that "Scandinavians are generally more attractive than Americans" sort of way.

sacklunch said...

Using his best Ed McMahon/Phil Hartman voice, "YOU ARE CORRECT SIR!"

I got my twee, indie-pop, Scandinavian, singer-songwriters mixed up. Thanks for clarifying.

Jimbromski said...

nice footage, I like what I've heard from this chick. faggot music for fucking faggots, it figures I'd dig it.