Night Falls Over Kortedala

Night Falls Over Kortedala
Studio album by Jens Lekman
Released 5 September 2007
Recorded 2004–2007
Genre
Length 50:31
Label
Producer Jens Lekman
Jens Lekman chronology
Oh You're So Silent Jens
(2005)Oh You're So Silent Jens2005		 Night Falls Over Kortedala
(2007)		 I Know What Love Isn't
(2012)I Know What Love Isn't2012

Night Falls Over Kortedala is the second studio album by Swedish indie pop musician Jens Lekman. Described as "a collection of recordings 2004–2007" on Lekman's website and in the album's liner notes,[1] Night Falls Over Kortedala was released in Scandinavia on the label Service on 5 September 2007 and worldwide on 9 October 2007 through Secretly Canadian.

The subject matter includes Lekman's first kiss—supposedly at age 19 ("And I Remember Every Kiss")—and being introduced as the boyfriend of his lesbian friend to her parents ("A Postcard to Nina"), as well as songs about "sublime haircuts, out-of-office replies, avocado-related mishaps and asthma inhalers", as described in a Pitchfork write-up on the album.[2]

Release

On 25 July 2007, Night Falls Over Kortedala was announced with a release date of 5 September through Lekman's Swedish label Service. Pre-orders for the Swedish release also include a digital bonus EP, Kalendervägen 113.D, a one track acoustic medley which, according to Lekman, includes "two unreleased songs on it 'The Rain Has Got to Fall' and 'Our Last Swim in the Ocean' as well as a couple of songs from Night Falls... and a Paul Simon song from Graceland I thought was suitable. It's me, a guitar and a loop pedal, nothing else. For those of you who prefer it more au naturale."[3]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic80/100[4]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[5]
The A.V. ClubB[6]
Blender[7]
Entertainment WeeklyA−[8]
The Guardian[9]
MSN MusicA−[10]
Pitchfork Media9.0/10[11]
PopMatters8/10[12]
Spin[13]
Uncut[14]

Night Falls Over Kortedala received widespread acclaim from music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average score of 80, based on 27 reviews, which indicates "generally favorable reviews".[4] Mark Richardson of Pitchfork Media felt that the album's "vinyl-crackling arrangements" and "wry, sometimes melancholic observations" make for "Lekman's best record, one likely to captivate even those who were skeptical of his previous releases".[11] Tim Sendra of AllMusic hailed Night Falls Over Kortedala as Lekman's best album to date, calling it "witty, pretty, silly, and wise; and filled with instantly memorable melodies, thrilling moments of surprise in the arrangements, and laugh-out-loud lyrics".[5] The Guardian's Betty Clarke praised the album as "audacious and beautiful", concluding that "pop is rarely as genuinely affecting, joyful or good as this."[9] Robert Christgau, writing for MSN Music, said of Lekman: "Loaded with talent, heart and personality, he's an eccentric who still thinks the world is his friend, and one more sweet argument for the civilized compromises of democratic socialism."[10]

Ryan Dombal of Blender wrote that Lekman "uses his tender touch to brilliantly tease out the bumbling awkwardness that defines modern love" and described him as "a hopeless romantic unafraid to poke fun at his own hopelessness",[7] while Adrian Begrand of PopMatters called him "a first-rate songwriter and the best lyricist this side of Jarvis Cocker and Craig Finn".[12] Entertainment Weekly critic Leah Grenblatt praised the album's sound as "a swirl of sparkly '60s orchestration and horns — an achievement worth a thousand days of Night."[8] The A.V. Club's Keith Phipps was more reserved in his praise, writing that Lekman's "straight from the heart" approach is "frequently endearing and occasionally embarrassing, or sometimes both at once."[6]

Night Falls Over Kortedala placed at number 23 on The Village Voice's Pazz & Jop critics' poll.[15] Pitchfork Media placed it at number 153 on their list of top 200 albums of the 2000s.[2] The album also made Paste's 50 Best Albums of the 2000s, entering the list at number 43.[16]

Track listing

All tracks written by Jens Lekman.

No.TitleLength
1."And I Remember Every Kiss"2:59
2."Sipping on the Sweet Nectar"4:11
3."The Opposite of Hallelujah"4:21
4."A Postcard to Nina"5:00
5."Into Eternity"3:44
6."I'm Leaving You Because I Don't Love You"3:48
7."If I Could Cry (It Would Feel Like This)"3:23
8."Your Arms Around Me"5:02
9."Shirin"3:56
10."It Was a Strange Time in My Life"5:08
11."Kanske är jag kär i dig" (English: Maybe I'm in Love with You)4:43
12."Friday Night at the Drive-In Bingo"4:16
Total length:50:31
Sample credits[17]

Personnel

Credits for Night Falls Over Kortedala adapted from liner notes.[17]

Additional personnel

Charts

Chart (2007) Peak
position
Norwegian Albums (VG-lista)[18] 31
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[19] 1
US Billboard 200[20] 192
US Independent Albums (Billboard)[21] 24

References

  1. ↑ "Discography". JensLekman.com. Retrieved 18 August 2007.
  2. 1 2 Pitchfork staff (28 September 2009). "The Top 200 Albums of the 2000s: 200–151". Pitchfork Media. Retrieved 1 October 2009.
  3. ↑ Lekman, Jens (31 August 2007). "Smalltalk: 31 August 2007". JensLekman.com. Retrieved 26 October 2007.
  4. 1 2 "Reviews for Night Falls Over Kortedala by Jens Lekman". Metacritic. Retrieved 11 May 2015.
  5. 1 2 Sendra, Tim. "Night Falls Over Kortedala – Jens Lekman". AllMusic. Retrieved 29 August 2012.
  6. 1 2 Phipps, Keith (9 October 2007). "Jens Lekman: Night Falls Over Kortedala". The A.V. Club. Retrieved 29 August 2012.
  7. 1 2 Dombal, Ryan. "Jens Lekman: Night Falls Over Kortedala". Blender. Archived from the original on 11 October 2007. Retrieved 29 August 2012.
  8. 1 2 Greenblatt, Leah (26 October 2007). "Night Falls Over Kortedala". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 29 August 2012.
  9. 1 2 Clarke, Betty (19 October 2007). "Jens Lekman, Night Falls Over Kortedala". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 29 August 2012.
  10. 1 2 Christgau, Robert (April 2008). "Consumer Guide". MSN Music. Retrieved 21 October 2015.
  11. 1 2 Hogan, Marc (5 September 2007). "Jens Lekman: Night Falls Over Kortedala". Pitchfork Media. Retrieved 29 August 2012.
  12. 1 2 Begrand, Adrien (8 October 2007). "Jens Lekman: Night Falls Over Kortedala". PopMatters. Retrieved 29 August 2012.
  13. ↑ Petrusich, Amanda (November 2007). "Jens Lekman: Night Falls Over Kortedala". Spin. 23 (11): 121. Retrieved 21 October 2015.
  14. ↑ "Jens Lekman: Night Falls Over Kortedala". Uncut (126): 110. November 2007.
  15. ↑ "The 2007 Pazz & Jop Critics Poll". The Village Voice. 6 February 2008. Retrieved 2 June 2016.
  16. ↑ Paste staff (2 November 2009). "The 50 Best Albums of the Decade (2000–2009)". Paste. Retrieved 25 January 2010.
  17. 1 2 Night Falls Over Kortedala (liner notes). Lekman, Jens. Service. 2007. SERV031.
  18. ↑ "Norwegiancharts.com – Jens Lekman – Night Falls Over Kortedala". Hung Medien. Retrieved 18 August 2013.
  19. ↑ "Swedishcharts.com – Jens Lekman – Night Falls Over Kortedala". Hung Medien. Retrieved 18 August 2013.
  20. ↑ "Jens Lekman – Chart history" Billboard 200 for Jens Lekman. Retrieved 18 August 2013.
  21. ↑ "Jens Lekman – Chart history" Billboard Independent Albums for Jens Lekman. Retrieved 18 August 2013.
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