Jens Lekman's kalediscope of sound

Jens Lekman – Night Falls Over Kortedala

(Secretly Canadian): Jens Lekman has been called a Swedish Burt Bacharach, and a Morrissey spin-off. Mostly, this is due to a confluence of vocal styles: His songs are big, roomy, and he sings with heart. But on "Night Falls Over Kortedala," Lekman's third album, there is evidence of a few more complex influences, spanning from jazz to orchestral rock. "The Opposite of Hallejuah" shimmies around an R&B progression; "I'm Leaving Because I Don't Love You" sinks into lounge-star malaise. By the time "Kortedala" starts to wrap up over the simple chords of "Shirin," there's little doubt that Lekman could go on like this forever, mixing and mashing styles into a kalediscope of sound. Grade: A – Matthew Shaer