The return of Jens Lekman almost never came. Last year the worrying announcement that Lekman had managed to inadvertently pick up the H1N1 virus was posted on his website. Hearts skipped a beat in a different way than might be described in on his songs but the world rested happy that he was then recovering in bedroom while watching the summer pass him by outside. But if the words from Lekman’s latest offering are to be taken seriously then the world probably didn’t really give a shit about Jens quarantined in a bedroom.
But perhaps that’s a little too harsh; no one wants to see someone else struck down with illness (especially something like the H1N1 virus). If you’re broken hearted, however, then all we want to do is just slap it out of you and make you realize that because your relationship is over, the end of the world has not arrived. It’s a seemingly simple lesson Lekman offers with the title of his new song alone that “The End of the World Is Bigger Than Love.” And if anything it’s a sign that he’s maturing and is learning to see life beyond love. Despite there not being quite as much bounce as one of the best cuts from Night Falls Over Kortedala the song’s still has plenty to offer. It might be the simple piano melody or the swirling strings or Lekman’s pristine (as always) lyrics about the American general election, constellations and “the spider floating in your cider.” But even though he might be growing up (if you want to call it that) Lekman still knows how to bowl you over and make you fall in love. Not that anyone cares though.
