« Preview: Damon and Naomi @ Lincoln Hall, Friday, 5/27 | Goin' 'round the bend with Radian » |
Review Wed May 25 2011
Review: Lykke Li @ Metro 5/23
Lykke Li (photos by Steve Stearns)
Supporting musicians, half hidden behind black draperies, half hidden by the disorienting strobe light's negative space who sound tracked heavy percussive beats under pre-recorded industrial noises held the Metro audience in a state of suspension for a solid 3 minutes before black robed singer Lykke Li made her dramatic appearance. The Swedish singer wasted no seconds before getting into the equally dramatic song "Jerome"; a troubled love song which evoked Dolly Parton's "Jolene" but in a much darker, almost pagan kind of way.
Like the Metro show, Li's newest album Wounded Rhymes, varies from dance tunes to tribal beats. And, as album title suggests, it's a mature, and darker, take on subject matter similar to that of 2008 release Youth Novels. That subject matter being matters of the heart. Li used repeating bass lines and hard hitting drum beats to emphasize her angry, wounded heart in the aggressive "Youth Knows No Pain" and the furious rapid-fire drumming of "Rich Kid Blues". The latter song's mood further set by harsh red lights. Each of these three songs were in vast contrast to the breathy, bubble-pop song "Lil Bit" (from Youth Novels), played mid set, where Li revealed that she may be "a lil bit in love".
(photos by Steve Stearns)
(photos by Steve Stearns)
In a different vein, Li quieted down with her '50s duwop throwback, "Sadness is a Blessing" ("My wounded eyes make silent cries") and the hopeless "Unrequited Love". Sultrily followed by "I Follow Rivers" accompanied to rythmic dancing with drum sticks acting as extensions of her arms. She then throbbed the confidence of a woman-in-control in "Get Some" (a personal favorite), while shaping hand guns with her fingers. The lyrics of each song showcasing a more mature understanding of the spectrum of emotions at play in love.
(photos by Steve Stearns)
Li ended the set (to the disappointment of all involved) with a three song encore which ended with the previously mentioned "Youth Knows No Pain" and "Unrequited Love". Luckily, she'll be back in Chicago this summer for Lollapalooza.