Lykke Li - Little Bit

And for you I keep my legs apart
And forget about my tainted heart

If you know me or have been following my blog, or more specifically, my Twitter, then you know that I have grown quite fond of Swedish indie pop star, Lykke Li. I have now made it my mission in life to take her hand in marriage. So I thought I'd use today's blog post to share another song off her debut album, Youth Novels, and also to share some of the reasons why she has quickly become one of my favorite "new" artists.

Firstly, today's eargasm: "Little Bit." At first I simply loved the music and feel to the song but as I listened to it more and more I realized how much I absolutely love the lyrics. As the album title suggests, the songs are about youth and this song, specifically, sums young (& naive) love perfectly with lyrics like "I would do it/Push a button/Pull a trigger/Climb a mountain/Jump off a cliff/Cause you know baby/I love you love you/A little bit." Remember in high school when you first fell in love, or thought you did (or maybe you are right now!), and felt like you would do any sort of foolish thing for the person, but at the same time didn't know jack about love other than if the person loved you then you loved them too? Yeah, neither do I. But I'm sure many out there are/were like that. But I digress ... just listen:

Here are a few other reasons why she's awesome:

1. She was a dancer & gets her groove on on stage. She's an all out amazing performer and puts a lot of effort into getting the crowd involved and dancing as well.

2. She does amazing covers. I was fortunate enough to see her perform a cover to one of my favorite Kings of Leon songs--"Knocked Up." Check it:



3. She loves hip hop and shows it:



I could probably go on but I don't want to sound obsessive (in case I already haven't). Please feel free to share any of your favorite Lykke Li songs/moments in the comments!

Incubus - Southern Girl

So come outside and walk with me
We'll try each other on to see if we fit

If you read yesterday's post, I actually foreshadowed today's post on Incubus. Fascinating, isn't it? Seriously though, "Southern Girl" was an obsession of mine at one point. Incubus has a lot of other great songs. Any fan, or really, anyone that's ever heard even a few of their songs can tell you that. But this one just resonates with me.

Favorite Part: The lyrics. I don't know what it is about lyrics that can make a song 10x greater than if just the music was good. Scratch that, I think I do know. It's that it actually attaches meaning to the song and people can internalize it or relate to it, thus making it that much greater to them personally. Duh?

Today's post is short and sweet because I have to excitedly head off to the Glass House in Pomona for the Lykke Li show! =D

N.A.S.A. - Gifted

N.A.S.A. (acronym for North America South America) is a collaborative project between Squeak E. Clean (producer for Show Your Bones) and DJ Zegon. The idea is to gather up an eclectic group of artists and showcase them on original tracks all on the same album at their own will. Thus, we have The Spirit of the Apollo. I never imagined that I'd hear the likes of Karen O and Ol' Dirty Bastard or The Cool Kids and Scarface on the same tracks outside of a Girl Talk album.

"Gifted" has been circulating around the blogosphere for months now and is unfortunately one of the few I can actually find a stream of. I really wanted to write about "Way Down" which features RZA, Barbie Hatch and John Frusciante but had no luck there. Luckily I really like "Gifted" as well. After all, it features Kanye West, Santogold and Lykke Li ... so how bad could it be? If you're interested in a full album review and hearing more from this duo click here.

CORRECTION: After posting this entry I ended up finding a stream of "Way Down." Click here to listen.

Favorite Part: Other than the sweet combination of artists I just love the production on this track. It's definitely one of those "feel good" songs that make you just want to get up and dance ... if dancing is your cup of tea. Otherwise you can still bob your head to it!

Kleerup feat. Lykke Li - Until We Bleed

Then love until we bleed
Then fall apart in parts

I have no idea why I didn't post this song sooner considering its taken the Internets by storm. But I have been obsessed with it since it did. Special thanks to Luis over at PMA! for introducing me to it.

Kleerup is a Swedish producer who made his first breakthrough on Swedish pop star Robyn's track "With Every Heartbeat." On his self-titled debut LP released last year he teamed up with another Swedish pop star, Lykke Li for the amazing "Until We Bleed." I have now used "Swedish" more times than I ever have, or ever will, again. Also, I fucking love Lykke Li.

Favourite Part: How he perfectly matched the music to Lykke Li's style. After all, that is the duty of a producer but they don't all seem to get that.

Just listen:

Santogold - L.E.S. Artistes

I left my home to disappear is all

I'm here for myself, not to know you

As the end of the year approaches, music bloggers race to post their top ranked albums/tracks. For those who have been following any of these, you'll notice Santogold is splashed across the lists. She's definitely struck a chord with a lot of listeners this year with her self-titled debut album. Not to mention all the remixes and songs she's appeared on (i.e. "Gifted" featuring Lykke Li and Kanye West or "Get It Up" with M.I.A.). It's easy to think of her as an M.I.A. knock off but she's far from it. She's more a mix of M.I.A., Gwen Stefani, Janelle Monáe and Nelly Furtado, but with her own touch of course.

Santogold is comprised of Santi White and, usually, former band-mate John Hill. The two were originally part of a ska-punk band known as Stiffed. After some trouble with labels and finding the right producers, their first LP (originally titled Creator) was ready to be released in January 2008. However, the CD didn't hit shelves until April. By then, their first single "Creator" was already getting a lot of attention. "L.E.S. Artistes" is probably what really put her on the map this year though. Check out the awesome video as well.

Favourite Part: The Yeah Yeah Yeahs meets Tegan & Sara like beat.

For those who haven't noticed, I'd like to point out a somewhat new feature to my blog. After each entry you'll find a "Reactions" section where you can vote on how you felt about that days post. It's right after the list of tags. So, uh .. rock the vote?

Lykke Li - Tonight

Don't you let me go let me go tonight

It was actually the live video of this song that made me instantly fall in love with it and download Lykke Li's debut album--Youth Novels. It was also this performance on Swedish MTV that first grabbed mainstream attention. Until then she was only grabbing the attention of bloggers (*ahem*). The rest of the album has a pop-y electric feel to it and is highly recommended.

BONUS: Watch Lykke Li shake her Swedish booty while Bon Iver and her bandmates play on a fountain in LA. (Special thanks to Ian Williams for showing me this video).