Jens Lekman's second album is humour, sincerity and soul personified

Jens Lekman has always had a knack of accessing these thoughts and distilling them into real life tales of love and loss, all with a simple, almost childlike innocence. He continues to do so on Night Falls Over Kortedala but with an added sense of confidence and greater studio prose. What follows is a marvelous journey.

Beginning with a timpani roll and lush strings And I Remember Every Kiss kicks off proceedings in grandiose style with Jens’ trademark baritone crooning over the lines “there will be no kisses tonight / no there will be no holding hands tonight”. It is a grand entrance that is suitably followed by the disco infused Sipping On The Sweet Nectar, a slice of pop so intentionally cheesy that only Jens could pull off. The transition between these two songs is seamless, with the first kiss theme continuing throughout, as Lekman takes a trip down memory lane and is “still shaking from the very thought of it”. These two tracks alone are enough to make you realise that this is going to be a very special record. The meticulous use of samples intertwining with the irresistible melodies is genuinely enthralling.

Live favourite The Opposite Of Hallelujah is a welcome inclusion here. It’s sixties-esque strings and doo-wop feel leads me to imagine a girl band covering the track and having an instant hit with it. Though, more The Pipettes than Girls Aloud I hasten to add.

Can this guy do no wrong? It appears not. A Postcard To Nina is one of his finest moments to date and certainly qualifies to stand against past classics such as Black Cab and Maple Leaves. It’s no secret that the majority of the Jens Lekman back catalogue is penned from personal experiences, with very little hidden meanings. This is no more apparent than on this track which finds Jens pretending to be his lesbian friend’s boyfriend to hide her sexuality from her strict father. The troublesome tale unfolds at the dinner table as Jens squeals “Hey! You! Stop kicking my legs, I’m doing my best can you pass the eggs..” as he tries to read Nina’s cryptic facial expressions. It ends with a climatic outro with the reassuring “don’t let anyone stand in your way”. Humour, sincerity and soul, this song has it all.

Quality control dips slightly for Into Eternity. The only song here that, even after countless listens doesn’t seem to stick. Things resume though when fellow Gothenburg resident Sarah Assbring (aka El Perro Del Mar) lends her bewitching vocals to a couple of tracks; I’m Leaving You Because I Don’t Love You and If I Could Cry (It Would Feel Like This). The latter uses Jen’s deft skills as an arranger to full effect. As he explains sonically how it would feel if he could cry: Cue Donna Summer sample. Genius. And where in the past he’s sampled the likes of Arab Strap and Belle & Sebastian, Your Arms Around Me takes the riff from R.E.M’s Near Wild Heaven and gives it a Scandinavian makeover.

Brian Wilson has always been a present force in Lekman’s past offerings and this is no more apparent than in Shirin. A tender story of a barber who fled Iraq to set up a “beauty salon in her own apartment”. The Beach Boys infused melodies offer a perfect accompaniment as he tosses out swooning lyrics like the perfect “when Shirin cuts my hair it’s like a love affair” / “your hands are soft just like silk”. Only Lekman can turn a simple act of having a hair cut into something that could appear in a romantic novel.

It’s obvious that during the recording of this album Lekman has become more studio savvy and comfortable in his own skin, as a performer he’s improved phenomenally. But the major area in which he’s streets ahead of everyone else is his lyrics. He has taken his usual tales of self deprecation, romantic encounters and down-right silly one liners that have always been there on previous releases, but with the greater and more adventurous instrumentation on display, they’re transformed into something bigger, bolder and better than ever before.