Jens Lekman is an extremely hard artist to get a handle on. At times, the Swedish singer-songwriter seems like he takes influence from the British king of mope, Morrissey. Other times he’s a downright jubilant knock-off of Wayne Newton. His lyrics are funny, but in an uncomfortable, lost-in-translation way that makes you wonder if the humour is intentional. And the awkwardness of lyrics like “I regret my regrets” doesn’t help.
When Lekman misses, he misses badly, as on “Sipping On the Sweet Nectar.” The cheesy string section sounds ready for a sequined jumpsuit and a Vegas showroom, while the motivational speech-like lyrics are back-to-school special bad. When he hits the right note, though, it’s hard not to find him a little bit charming. “A Postcard to Nina” is an honest and funny love song, even if the narrative sounds suspiciously like Meet the Parents.
Night Falls over Kortedala is a one-step-forward, two-steps-back affair. Lekman rights the ship on one song, yet the next one takes him further off course than he was before. It’s ultimately a pretty frustrating album, but somehow ends up with you liking Lekman more as a person than a musician by the time.
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