Clearing the cobwebs

Wow, it's been a real ghost town around here lately, hasn't it? I had to fight off a dust bunny of gargantuan proportions while tumbleweeds were hot on my heels just to get to the ol' RB. Allow me to dust off the cobwebs and share two albums that I've been enjoying since they were released in early October.

In his most recent album Night Falls Over Kortedala, Jens Lekman swings from orchestral pop, soul, and disco to doo wop and African rhythms, without ever losing his inherent wit and romanticism. It's the romanticism of everyday life, the observance of small moments that are so often overlooked: a haircut, fumbling over words because someone makes you nervous, a heartbeat "beating like Ringo." And somehow Jens makes a story about cutting off the tip of his index finger and bleeding all over the sink because he was surprised by a stealth hug while chopping an avocado sound like one of the sweetest things you've ever heard in "Your Arms Around Me."

Jens Lekman - Your Arms Around Me
Jens Lekman - Into Eternity
Jens Lekman - Kanske Ar Jag Kar i Dig.mp3

And then there's my new favorite band-with-a-name-likely-to-confuse-people-if-heard-instead-of-read: Prints.

"What music are you playing?"
"Prints."
"Wha? That's not my favorite funky 5'2" Purple One!"

While not the product of Minnesota's finest, Prints is the result of Zac Nelson (Who's Your Favorite Sun God) and Kenseth Thibideau (Sleeping People, Pinback) self-recording their brand of eclectic pop in their homes.

Prints - Too Much Water
Prints - Blue Jay