Lykke Li
I Never Learn
LL Recordings
Wow, this record is a downer. That shouldn’t come as a surprise, though — Li has made a career for herself so far by celebrating sorrow. But where 2008’s Youth Novels was slick and pop-oriented, and 2011’s Wounded Rhymes livened things up with blithe, garage-goth production, I Never Learn wallows in its own dreariness. Most of the songs here are sparse, based around acoustic guitar or piano skeletons, and the lyrics on tracks like “Love Me Like I’m Not Made of Stone” and “Never Gonna Love Again” are about as much fun as their titles promise. This record seems a lot longer than its mere 33 minutes. —Lee DeVito
This article appears in May 14-20, 2014.
