The Definitive Guide to Living in the Capital , Cairo , Egypt

If a few months ago, M.I.A had taken
a few ‘how to be hardcore’ tips from Swedish singer Lykke Li, she may not have come across as so annoying and flamboyantly shallow. Fortunately
enough for Li, she’s got her own thing going on and she’s sparkling now more
than ever.

Popular with indie
music fans, Li’s quirky pop sound matches her behaviour in a not-so-subtle way. While
Li’s debut album Youth Novels garnered some interested ears just a few years ago, her second album Wounded Rhymes just might have secured
her more than one spot on the charts and a following by pop and non-pop
fans alike.

Bringing in an arrangement of
drums, homemade percussion sounds and a catchy broken voice, Li’s latest album
is causing quite the ruckus amongst music lovers worldwide.  

Li rocks it hard with
tracks like the opening ‘Youth Knows No Pain’. The bass drum beats in tandem
with the heart as Li calls on the younger generation to ‘Come on get down/ Make
a mess/ Make a bow.’  The raw attitude
transports itself well throughout the album, especially on the hot hit single,
‘Get Some’. Addictive, bottom-lip biting and stirring up the topic of female
sexuality like nothing we’ve heard in a while, the song’s music video is also worth
checking out.

Serving as a reminder
that humanity is indeed a vulnerable thing, Li’s human susceptibility to
heartache and sadness surfaces naturally and exquisitely with songs like
‘Sadness is a Blessing’.

This newly displayed,
almost forceful honesty and deep-rooted emotions render a hunger, or obsession
even with darkness and with love. That being said, Wounded Rhymes in its entirety swells with this newly fangled,
pensive mood leaking from every word.

The album works well
as a whole piece, smoothly produced with glossy transitions and enough
difference to make it feel like a novelty. Lykke Li is attracting a
considerable amount of attention for her unique take on pop music. To see
someone like her grow as an artist and be appreciated is a refreshing reminder
that hope might not be lost in the future of pop music.

The fullness of that strangely
primal sound mixed with her fresh pop beats has left this reviewer hot with
Lykke Li fever.