When I Said I Wanted to Be Your Dog

When I Said I Wanted to Be Your Dog

Editorial Reviews
Paste
"Jens Lekman is the latest and possibly greatest Scandinavian export...a genuinely compelling artist..."

Product Description
Call it a curse: Jens Lekman's world is populated by an endless stream of women. There he is, his hair mussed and glasses off-kilter, sitting in the corner of the cafe with his journal once again - and he's being torn in two. Moments ago he fell in love with the redheaded barista who nailed his order - when she scooted that cappuccino across the counter, it was clear that there was a connection. And now, his eye catches the picture of divinity in the shape of the most finely featured brunette he's ever seen...and she's looking his way. But which way to go? It's tragic having to make such choices. Like Fellini's The Man Who Loved Women, Jens Lekman is a man forever at a crossroads between competing inspirations.

At only 23, Lekman has deservedly been the center of much hype in Scandinavia. Having made a name for himself performing under the name Rocky Dennis, he recently hit #2 on the Swedish National Pop Charts. Most everyone who's heard him believes him to be the next great pop star emerging from the streets of the DIY underground. With an angelic voice and golden ears he seems to be drinking from the same hard waters as The Carpenters, Harry Nilsson, The Magnetic Fields, Runt-era Todd Rundgren, Bill Callahan's Smog, The Modern Lovers, Rufus Wainwright and Belle & Sebastian.

When I Said I Wanted to Be Your Dog

Tracks:

Tram #7 To Heaven
Happy Birthday, Dear Friend Lisa
Do You Remember The Riots?
You Are The Light (By Which I Travel Into This And That)
If You Ever Need A Stranger (To Sing At Your Wedding)
Silvia
The Cold Swedish Winter
Julie
Psychogirl
When I Said I Wanted To Be Your Dog
Higher Power

Album Description

Call it a curse: Jens Lekman's world is populated by an endless stream of women. There he is, his hair mussed and glasses off-kilter, sitting in the corner of the cafe with his journal once again - and he's being torn in two. Moments ago he fell in love with the redheaded barista who nailed his order - when she scooted that cappuccino across the counter, it was clear that there was a connection. And now, his eye catches the picture of divinity in the shape of the most finely featured brunette he's ever seen...and she's looking his way. But which way to go? It's tragic having to make such choices. Like Fellini's The Man Who Loved Women, Jens Lekman is a man forever at a crossroads between competing inspirations.

Customer Reviews:

This album is like injecting liquid pleasure into your ear hole.......2007-01-17

This is my favorite Jens Lekman album. i think it showcases the humor and pathos of his work more than any other. "If you ever need a stranger" almost makes me cry every time I hear it. In summary, I have a bit of a man crush on Jens Lekman.

Tram # 7.......2006-10-04

The best tracks are Tram # 7 to Heaven, Higher Power, You are the Light and Julie. Listen to a few tracks on amazon to make sure you like his voice, and then your golden. The whole cd is good, and I place him in the same category as Damien Rice even though Jens is more vocal.

This guy is good, (but...).......2006-03-13

I've become sort of a Jens Lekman-aholic these past few months, and if you haven't heard him yet, you owe it to yourself to pick up one of his albums. But, I think you'll get a much better idea of his talent from "Oh You're So Silent Jens" then you will from this album. While still better than a lot of pop music out there, some songs, like "Tram #7", have a noticeably bad production quality, and others, like "Silvia", just aren't that memorable. Yeah, he's prone to some bad rhymes, like rhyming "Pullovers" with "Casanova". But his tendency to use "cigarette lighter" in more rhymes than you thought possible is just part of his charm. My favorite song on this album is "Higher Power", which adds clever and unexpected lyrics to a lushly orchestrated and extremely catchy melody. From the almost a-cappela "Do You Remember the Riots" to the jaunty "Happy Birthday" to the more quiet yet funny "Psychogirl", this album is, for the most part, just a lot of fun to listen to.

Promising.......2005-12-04

This album isn't as great as some reviews would have you believe but it is a solid listen and this guy clearly has some real talent. It's a bit uneven (though it does have a ragged charm about it) - some of the tracks come off as a bit weak and underdeveloped, particularly in the first half, but there's enough quality to maintain your interest.

My main problem with this album is that, stylistically, it's all a bit disjointed and doesn't flow very well, coming off as a bunch of fragments, rather than a cohesive album. Also, the lyrics often tread a fine line between being wryly humorous and downright silly. Sometimes it's all a bit too knowing and tongue in cheek, robbing the music of any real emotional impact. Still, an interesting album and definitely worth a few listens.

One of the Best New Artists Out There.......2005-10-25

To be completely honest, the material on here is not quite as good all-around as what he puts on his EPs; a few songs sound like filler tracks (particularly "Silvia"), while his EPs contain incredible songs through and through. However, that is not to say this is a bad album. In fact, it's the best new album I've heard all year. "Do You Remember the Riots," "You are the Light," and "The Cold Swedish Winter" in particular are standout tracks. And I think these days we can all benefit from melodic, well-penned songs that aren't bogged down by irony.

I saw him in concert a couple of weeks ago as well, and he's a fantastic live performer.