Jens Lekman

I love the music of Jens Lekman. For starters his lyrics are like a portal straight into his sub-conscious. They are sensitive, elaborate without being overindulgent and most importantly are perfectly paired with his music. Much of the potency of his songs derive from his skill in placing lyrics which describe very ordinary events and communal feelings behind overwhelming (sometimes even unnatural) orchestral sweeps. His music is as confessional and humorous as the Smiths, but is as poppy as fellow Sweedish sensation ABBA.
Lekman has a gift for making average happenstances and anecdotal situations seem like the most interesting thing ever talked about. He delivers his music with such wit and comicality you would expect to hear it from Oscar Wilde. The confessionaism of his lyrical content remains fairly consistent; however he often mixes up his sound extensively. Slow minimalist pieces like "Someone to Share My Life With" and "A Man Walks Into a Bar" feature only vocals and piano and are presented in a purposefully underwhelming manner. Given the bare bone structure of these recordings their performances live are always on key.
However Jens Lekman's music can be just as flowery and full as it is sparse and dismal. This style is heavily featured on his masterpiece of an album "Night Falls Over Kortedala". During a live show he frequently (and thankfully) pulls a good bit of songs from this album. It is absolutely stunning to hear him perform extravagant pieces like "Sipping On the Sweet Nectar". When he played this on his 2007 tour he and his band were all dressed in matching white uniforms. They did an excellent job of translating the energy of the record onto stage. Behind a synthesized backing track the bass player jammed out a disco style comp and the violins whirled about freely, executing all of the dynamics heard on the album. Jens took center stage and completely nailed the vocal delivery. His voice really seems like it can flourish in any context. It mixes in great with busy, thematic soundscapes, but can also sound beautiful behind a single ukulele as heard on some versions of "Black Cab". Lekman is one of the best sophisti-pop writers of this generation and his live shows are an absolute treat to see.

The line that separates Jens Lekman the man and Jens Lekman, the character in Jens Lekman songs, is one deliberately drawn with a particularly thin pencil. Surely however, one thinks as you stand listening to his playfully wistful tales of love won and lost, one man could not have been through quite this much heartache and still be so endearing? Taking an opposite career direction to many of his contemporaries, Lekman’s music seems to be getting less and less bombastic as it develops, unveiling more of the man himself as the layers are stripped away. Where it was once common to see him accompanied by all sorts of gently cooing backing singers in floaty white dresses, these days you’re just as likely to be wowed by Jens the solo crooner, sporting nothing other than a guitar and a heart on his sleeve. A subtly but genuinely humorous character, Lekman uses humour to add contrast to the often melancholic tone of his music, which despite being vastly melodic and often upbeat, is clearly the product of a weary soul. You can expect him, between song monologues detailing life’s many foibles, to offer just as much of an insight in to this fascinating character as any of his lyrics.

It is impossible to watch Jens Lekman perform without a totally full heart. He is just this beacon of warmth, gentleness and positivity on stage. He smiles to himself and it makes you smile too. I don't think I've ever seen a performer who connects with a crowd as intimately as Jens does. He asked the audience who had seen him perform before in Boston, and began listing all the venues he remembered playing at in my city over the last 12 years. For him to recall the names of these small clubs that he hasn't been to in over a decade, out of the hundreds of venues he's played in his career - just goes to show you how gracious and appreciative of his fans he is. When he says it's good to see you again, he really means it.

His performance of "Black Cab" transformed one of my favorite songs into a hushed and dreamy hymnal, with the audience singing along quietly like a choir. It was genuinely moving.

As a lyricist he's honest, funny, and often heartbreaking. As a person, he's just an unbelievably kind, humble and warm soul.

BY THE WAY, his all female band is fucking awesome and they're all super sweet and fun.

Jens Lekman is an incredible songwriter and a delightfully goofy, gracious performer, but what stood out to me about my experience of his live show was just how /kind/ he is. At one point during the show, he dedicated an acoustic performance of "Into Eternity" to a friend of his who died in the Oakland "Ghost Ship" warehouse fire in December 2016 - and then proceeded to forget the lyrics to his own song. The audience jumped right in to help out though, filling in the words while Jens caught his breath. It was an incredibly touching, poignant moment of community coming together through music. Then, after the show, he came out to sign autographs and chat with fans, and when I told him how much one of his songs means to me, he reached right across the merch table and gave me a huge hug. Jens Lekman is brilliant, but he's also just a good person, and that for me would be more than reason enough to see him again in a heartbeat - even if the show hadn't rocked (which it did).

It was a fantastic gig! I saw Jens Lekman twice, but not in such an intimate place like club Zukunft. As usual Jens was quiet talk active and told the crowd a few things about the story of the songs. Also he asked for requests he then played. It was a mix of mostly 'Kortedala' and 'Life will see you now'. The show made clear again how brilliant his songwriting is and that his tunes make the crowd dance. Can't wait for the next opportunity to see him live!

Its the second time i see Lekman live and im always amazed by the pure pop sensitivities of this artist and how bravely different his music is from whats on the top 20 . Live he was once more great , communicative with the audience , humorous with a broad smile and a band of friendly swedish ladies accompanying him . What a wonderful soul this man must have !

Was amazing. Everyone in the audience git a small envelope with lavender, handwritten by Jens Lekman. He used the audience as his choir and had an amazing concert! He also apologised if the tickets were too expensive and explained that he does this big concerts only to support his concerts in smaller cities. Like the concert version of Robin Hood

The concert was SO MUCH FUN. We had a mini sing-along to "Your Arms Around Me" The place was packed but it feels like he's singing just to you. Everyone should go see Jens Lekman