Lykke Li
Wounded Rhymes

In recent times, the Scandinavian Peninsula has given the (once) ever-green United Kingdom a run for its money in producing the most interesting new faces in the music scene.

Clearly, since the birth of the "music business" as we know it today, the three icy countries have produced some major record cases, just think of ABBA, the emblematic quartet of '70s disco of pure Swedish making, the refined cool pop of Roxette and The Cardigans that worked so well in the '90s, not to mention well-known rock faces like the forgettable Europe, the controversial metal of HIM, hard rock in costume of Lordi, and the pop/rock for teenagers of The Rasmus.

Clearly, however, those who "worked" abroad, besides the characters already mentioned, can be counted on the fingers of one hand.

Or at least until the second half of the past decade, when the Swedish, Norwegian, and Finnish record industry literally took off, breaking all barriers, including those Overseas: Robyn, Peter Bjorn & John, I'm From Barcelona, Avicii, Swedish House Mafia, and Mando Diao are just some of the names that are currently holding their own in international charts, often convincing even the most demanding audience and the strictest critics.

And it is precisely in the midst of this whirlwind of novelties that, in 2008, a young Swedish woman made an appearance, with an album, "Youth Novels," which, however, went quite unnoticed outside her homeland.

It was with this second installment, dated 2011, that the world realized it had a unique and particularly interesting character on its hands.

Her name is Lykke Li. She was 25 years old then, a fascinating character - a clean face "stained" only by a perpetual mischievous smirk - and a compositional ability in terms of sound and lyrics of a high level.

A heavy use of all sorts of percussion, rhythms in perpetual change, from the wild, almost "jungle-like" beats of the first single "Get Some," to the hand claps of "Jerome" and "Youth Knows No Pain," concluding with ballads with a subtle Dylan-esque taste like "Unrequited Love" and "I Know Places."

The highest moment, however, is undoubtedly the excellent "I Follow Rivers," the second highly acclaimed single, which made her a real hit, complete with a - not entirely desirable - tribute from the American TV series "Glee" (see to believe). Also noteworthy are the irresistible "Sadness Is A Blessing" - in whose video, where a Lykke Li under the influence of alcohol causes a stir in a high-class restaurant, the award-winning actor Stellan Skarsgård, revealed to be a great fan of the singer, wanted to make an appearance - and "Love Out Of Lust," where it sounds like hearing a revival of The Chordettes immersed in a primitive jungle.

A memorable album, therefore, for a promise that, following this path, should take a long time to fade.