Secretly Canadian
2005
Oh You're So Silent Jens
About This Album
If you haven't heard Jens Lekman yet, you're missing out on one of the true pop geniuses of the early 2000s. His sound is glittering and shiny bedroom pop built on gentle guitars, bold and often hilariously obvious samples, subtle orchestration and arrangement topped with lyrical turns that brings laughs, and heartfelt vocals that can bring tears. Lots of people have done the same thing but few are as sweet and sly, few have the musical skills, and few balance the smarts and soul quite so gracefully as Lekman -- maybe Stephin Merritt in his prime, maybe Beck at his most intimate. Maybe. Oh You're So Silent Jens collects songs from singles, collections, and EPs released between 2003 and 2004 and as great as his 2004 album When I Said I Wanted to Be Your Dog is (and it is great), this is the place to truly experience the wonder and power of Lekman's music. There are so many highlights it would take as long to describe them as it would to listen to the disc. Still, a couple deserve mention, like the shimmering and quite wonderful "Maple Leaves," the achingly melancholy version of the Television Personalities' "Someone to Share My Life With," the loose-as-a-goose folk-rock charmer "I Saw Her in the Anti-War Demonstration," the insanely peppy and fun "A Sweet Summer's Night on Hammer Hill,"and the heartbreakingly lovely "Rocky Dennis' Farewell Song," which makes fine use of a Stylistics sample and Lekman's lyrical acumen.
Track List (try tracks 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,9,10,11,12 and 13)

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
17.

 
report abuse