Jens Lekman has been relatively quiet since the release of
his last full length, the critically acclaimed Night Falls Over Kortedala, 5 years ago. For 5 years, Lekman
toured, weighed the idea of quitting music, got his heartbroken, and in
September of 2011 he released a scant 5 song EP, An Argument with Myself. As he discusses in an excellent interviewfor the music blog Stereogum’s ProgressReport, during his off time the Swedish born singer songwriter reevaluated
his approach to music. The end result is the album that Lekman set out not to
create, the epitomic heart break album, I
Know What Love Isn’t.
Over two albums and one compilation, Lekman has crafted a
finite image, placing himself as Indie Music’s lovelorn troubadour. With an
often witty approach, Lekman tackles the complications of human relationships
while focusing most acutely on young and/or unrequited love. Previous albums have been strongly driven by
storytelling and detailed, graphic songwriting. I Know What Love Isn’t does not abandon this approach but grows
from this foundation, crafting songs that build more on an idea while showcasing
a concise understanding of pop songwriting.
