Lykke Li @ Waterloo Records and Antone's, 02.19.09

Lykke Li’s Waterloo Records in-store performance… FREE. Lykke Li’s show at Antone’s … $20. Seeing Lykke Li perform twice in one day… F’in PRICELESS.



Thursday, February 19th, 2009 was the day that Swedish pop starlet Lykke Li [pronounced loo-key lee] invaded Austin by giving a short stripped down set at Waterloo Records and then delivering a tour-de-force at Antone's. This day will now also be associated as when I saw one of the best live performances I have ever seen. I say that with no light-heartedness. Lykke’s show at Antone’s was everything that a live show should be.

I’ve seen Marilyn Manson bring crowds to riot-like frenzy at music halls in Philadelphia and Austin, the beauty of Radiohead performing at the a large outside amphitheater, and the shock of surprise unbilled A Tribe Called Quest reunion at the TLA. And without a doubt Lykke Li now joins those veterans at the top of the list.

While the set at Waterloo was intimate and impressive, the full show at Antone's was one of those performances that should become legendary. Energetic, prolific, and surprising... Lykke had it all. From her opening the Swedish dance club for "Complaint Department" to closing the night by jumping into the crowd with a hip-hop medley of covers that included A Tribe Called Quest's "Can I Kick It" and "Hustlin" from Rick Ross, those who were in attendance will be talking about this one for a long time.

I can't stress enough how impressive Lykke Li is live.

@ Antone's

@ Waterloo

And here is a really cool interview from Nardwuar. See how cute Lykke is rapping Tribe...

I heart Lykke Li (and her new single "Tonight")

This posting is out of the ordinary from what I normally put up here at The Blog From Mars, but I have been pretty lazy in writing stuff lately. I wanted to get something quick up and when I saw Lykke Li's new video this week it brought up a great opportunity.  

These days female pop singers are imported to the US from around the world feverishly. The floodgate that was open with the successes of Amy Winehouse and Lily Allen a couple years ago lead the way for a massive wave last year. 2008 saw the breakouts of Duffy from Wales, Brit Adele, and Ladyhawke from the far reaches of New Zealand, among others. While I'm a big fan of most of these artists, one of my personal favorites has to be Lykke Li. The debut album Youth Novels from this Swedish songwriter offered an innovative pop sound. Whether it is dance tracks like "Breaking It Up" or the ballad "Time Flies," Lykke's mellow vocals paved a beautiful road of indie electro-pop. Plus she gave us the line, "For you I keep my legs apart, and forget about my tainted heart," in "Little Bit." If that ain't enough to rope you in then I really don't want to even talk to you.  

This week Lykke's video for an acoustic version of "Tonight" hit the interweb. The original is probably my favorite track on Youth Novels, and this version definitely builds on its strength. I normally don't care much for music videos and hardly ever watch one fully through.  However, the simplicty of the video combined with Lykke's performance made this one hypnotic.  By the time you hit 57 seconds in you will want to marry this girl.  Take a look...

And for all my Austinites, Lykke Li will be gracing us very soon when her US tour brings her to Antone's on February 19th. I will be there with bells on.