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Night Falls Over Kortadela is witty, pretty, silly, and wise; and filled with instantly memorable melodies, thrilling moments of surprise in the arrangements, and laugh-out-loud lyrics.
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This is Jens Lekman, and what he does best is create overly-sweet pop songs, so it's hard to complain too much.
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He's still a little corny in parts, but it's outweighed by the genuinely sincere.
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Unlike other current heart-on-sleeve troubadours, Lekman uses his tender touch to brilliantly tease out the bumbling awkwardness that defines modern love.
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With such a sweeping sonic palette, it's a pleasant surprise that the record doesn't crumble under its own auspices.
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It’s pretty hard to turn down, just as his collection of self-referencing, string heavy ballads "You‘re So Silent Jens" was.
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For all the moments of heart-stopping splendour, the backing tracks sometimes sound as creaky as a "Prisoner Cell Block H" film set.
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Ultimately the Swede’s absorption into his own mind gives him the throat of a man who sounds in control. This control is one of the things that make Kortedala Lekman’s most assured, comfortable record yet.
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Entertainment WeeklyThe album's sound is a swirl of sparkly '60s orchestration and horns--an achievement worth a thousands days of nights. [2 Nov 2007, p.63]
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The Swedish indie-pop singer shows a remarkably keen eye for detail, finding surprising moments of sweetness, poignancy, and humor in a variety of situations.
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Kortedala is a touch shy of a great album because Lekman's ornate tendencies towards full-on kitsch get the best of the still A-level songwriting.
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MagnetA few demerits are warrented for pointless and distracting tempo changes in two of the album's most satisfying songs, but otherwise, the off-kilter, kichen-sink production works. [Fall 2007, p.101]
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Loaded with talent, heart and personality, he's an eccentric who still thinks the world is his friend, and one more sweet argument for the civilized compromises of democratic socialism.
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Along with wry, sometimes melancholic observations worthy of Richman or the Magnetic Fields' Stephin Merritt, these elements make for Lekman's best record, one likely to captivate even those who were skeptical of his previous releases.
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There are times when he seems on the verge of sounding as pretentious as the next indie rock darling ("I picked up a seashell to illustrate my homelessness"), but he always ends up knocking himself back down to earth, coaxing a smile out of his audience.
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I think we should all be thanking our respective Higher Power right now that [Lekman's] hiatus was brief, because the album he would eventually make, the stunning Night Falls over Kortedala, is among the best of the year.
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SpinIt's his so-twee-it-hurts delivery that'll make you feel you're at a roadside bingo hall in rural Scandinavia, waiting for someone to holler, "B8!" [Nov 2007,p.121]
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This is a pretty great album, filler and all.
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His tunes, lusher and more layered here than on his previous efforts, can be just as peculiar as his tales.
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Pop is rarely as genuinely affecting, joyful or good as this.
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The music is smoother and grander than before (it turns out orchestral disco suits him well), but he remains defiantly unabashed.
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Lekman perfectly funnels his signature sound of gentle string and horn melodies, audaciously appropriate sampling, and often corny balladry into a well-oiled, 12-song machine.
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Under The RadarEach song unfolds so effortlessly one imagines it springing forth, fully formed, with the same exaggerated inevitability of a cartoon bubble sprouting above his head. [Fall 2007, p.74]
Awards & Rankings
User score distribution:
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Positive: 32 out of 39
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Mixed: 2 out of 39
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Negative: 5 out of 39
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GuyHDec 6, 2007
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RGNov 27, 2007
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JJNov 19, 2007