Single of the Week: Lykke Li – Breaking It Up
Third brilliant single in a row, and on the evidence of her live shows this is only the beginning, for my undisputed artist of the year so far. There’s an oddness to her style which some might characterise as twee, but to me Lykke Li is a serious star in the making. There’s a reserve evident on many of the songs on Youth Novels that it seems like she’s itching to break out of. This re-worked version of the more mannered album track could mark the beginnings of that process. Where she goes next is anyone’s guess, but hopefully it will involve translating more of her irrepresible live energy onto record. I’ll be happy whatever, but she deserves to reach as big an audience as possible.

I’ve run out of superlatives, to be honest, so here’s an extra treat. The clip below begins with a bit of Lykke guesting live with Kleerup on their superb collaboration, Until We Bleed (full version without video here). It then segues into another, slightly more well-known Kleerup track…

Oh to have been there! Still, it’s been a good week…
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