It’s going to be incredibly hard for someone to top this record for album of the year, as it’s currently significantly ahead of the closest other records contending for that title. Jens has finally fulfilled the promise that he showed on his debut, When I said I wanted to be your dog, his excellent singles and b-sides (collected on Oh you’re so silent, Jens, which a lot of people seem to think was a proper album and not merely a collection of ephemera), and his incredible live shows. He’s finally gotten out from under his most obvious influences (namely Stephin Merritt of the Magnetic Fields) and found his own sound and approach. The album is near-perfect from beginning to end.
Sounds interesting. What are his best tracks?
For a newcomer, I’d check out (individual songs from his catalogue) “you are the light”, “Black Cab,” “Maple Leaves,” “Sky Phenomenon,” “tram #7 to heaven,” “do you remember the riots?”, and “sylvia.” If you’re not in love by then, you’re not going to be. He’s a sort of amalgam of The Magnetic Fields’ Stephin Merritt, Jonathan Richman, and John Cale.
Just got my hands on this today, and holy crap it’s good. I enjoyed OYSSJ, but I really think he has outdone himself here. It’s a really unified album, considering that Jens said a long time ago he wasn’t really interested in making albums as such.
Unfortunately, those who wait for music to be released officially will have to wait until September 5 in Sweden or October 9 in the US.