The 10 Best Jens Lekman Songs

List of the Day

Last week, Jens Lekman announced that he hopes to release a full-length album and an EP this year. In typically Lekmanian humor, he mused on the record, discussing the “conversation” he’s been having with it over the course of its creation. The whole thing is worth a read, but here’s a taste:

“I set out to write about anything but heartbreak, and ended up writing almost entirely about it. I felt like a war correspondent, wishing for a small column about gardening. Putting on my helmet and my bulletproof vest one more day. It said: ‘You’re doing a good thing, remember all the people who write to you with their stories. All they want is someone to tell them theirs so they know they’re not alone.’ I said: ‘Yeah yeah yeah.’ But we seem to agree on the sound. I said ‘aerodynamic.’ It said ‘cool.’”

In light of the forthcoming tunes, it seems as good a time as any to assess Lekman’s brief-but-rewarding catalogue. (Incidentally, it really says something about a guy this young that it’s so difficult to pick only ten.) Below are his best, in order. They are listed without commentary, because they’re worth listening to without distraction:

10. “The End of the World is Bigger Than Love”