The Linden Trees Are Still In Blossom

Though not his debut, Swedish indie auteur Jens Lekmans 2007 sophomore effort Night Falls Over Kortedala felt like his first fully formed statement. It was with that album that Lekmans wide-eyed approach to sampling and his shockingly vulnerable songwriting style first reached a perfect equilibrium. His grab-bag of styles and borrowed sounds incorporated disco, doo wop, perky drum breaks, and sweet Baroque pop orchestrations, like if Beck had suddenly gone more twee and started writing songs about lifelong devotion or slicing avocados. In March of 2022, Lekman discontinued the album (long out of print physically) from streaming platforms, and a few weeks later replaced it with The Linden Trees Are Still in Blossom. Linden Trees is one of two albums Lekman used to revisit, partially re-record, and otherwise reconfigure older work, both expanding the original track listings and mixing in new versions of some songs while keeping others as they were. "Kanske Ar Jag Kar I Dig" gets a completely new life, with the sampled street corner doo wop vocals re-recorded in new arrangements by new voices. Likewise, the piano loop that led "Im Leaving You Because I Dont Love You" is less warped, and the production is far clearer than the reverb-heavy lo-fi original. For the most part, however, the revamped material isnt too wildly removed from the way the songs were presented of Night Falls Over Kortedala. Some of Lekmans best-loved tunes like "Your Arms Around Me" and "The Opposite of Hallelujah" seem mostly untouched. The most exciting additions of Linden Trees come with the previously unreleased bonus tracks. The spare handclaps and piano chords of Scout Niblett cover "Your Beat Kicks Back Like Death" build into Beirut-esque percussion and a huge group chorus singing joyfully about the inevitability of death, moves that would have fit perfectly into the indie landscape of 2007. A dreamy kalimba cover of Arthur Russells "A Little Lost" is also a highlight. The Linden Trees Are Still in Blossom doesnt necessarily improve on the spring-like wonder of Night Falls Over Kortedala as much as it reflects back on those songs and updates some perspectives that have changed in the ensuing years, becoming the musical equivalent of contacting an old friend you havent talked to in years out of the blue. ~ Fred Thomas