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News

Better Lek than never... Jens Lekman's first LP for five years plus UK dates and video

Article written by Paul M - Jun 7, 2012

Jens Lekman has announced his new album 'I Know What Love Isn’t' will be released on September 3rd via Secretly Canadian in the UK. It's his first full-length album in five years. Jens will head off on a full UK/EU tour the week after release in September, calling at three dates in the UK including Hackney Empire on the 20th September. Full details are below.

The follow-up to 2007’s 'Night Falls Over Kortedala', the new album chronicles the bittersweet pursuit of love. 'I Know What Love Isn’t' came out of a break up, something Jens didn’t see as worth writing about initially. But the songs began taking shape from images and memories. As Joan Didion said that she writes entirely to find out what she’s thinking, Jens wrote until he caught up with his thoughts, leading him inevitably back to the break up. Taking comfort from 'Oh, The Divorces', a song written and dedicated to him by Everything But The Girl’s Tracey Thorn – “Oh Jens, Oh Jens / your songs seem to look through a different lens / you’re still so young, love ends just as easy as it’s begun” - her missive to him proved a defining moment, arriving at a time when he found himself confused and in doubt. He was changing and, subsequently, so were his songs.

Musically, 'I Know What Love Isn’t' chooses an economic route. From the vast palette he created for '...Kortedala', he’s chosen a few starker colours this time around. There are strings, but no string section; an upright piano - not a grand; a single saxophone and grace notes from a flute. As Jens explains – “I wanted the songs to take off almost unnoticeably, where the chorus is separated from the verse only through a small detail like a tambourine or a harmony”. A country-fied piano makes 'Become Someone Else’s' rise up; vocals from Melbourne singer Sophie Brous makes the chorus in 'Erica America' soar.

As mentioned above, Lekman makes his first full visit to the UK since 2011 this September with a full band. Dates:

SEPTEMBER

19 - MANCHESTER, Ruby Lounge
20 - LONDON, Hackney Empire - tickets on sale 9am Monday 11th June)
21 - BRIGHTON, The Haunt

Jens has also unveiled a brand new track from 'I Know What Love Isn't', titled 'Erica America' - see Youtube video below.

Links:
http://www.jenslekman.com
http://www.secretlycanadian.com