Plus Porridge Radio, Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever, Florist, and a Wrap-up of the Week’s Other Notable New Tracks
May 06, 2022By Mark Redfern (with Joey Arnone)
Welcome to the 18th Songs of the Week of 2022. There were lots of strong contenders this week, including a new supergroup, two songs from a new album that featured no advance singles, and tracks from artists across the globe (including Sweden, Australia, New Zealand, and England). We’ve got 11 songs this week, since one artist has two different songs on the list. More
Swedish singer/songwriter Jens Lekman has shared a video for “The Linden Trees Are Still in Blossom,” the title track from his new album, which is out today. The album is a reworking of 2007’s Night Falls Over Kortedala, with the new song being a reprise of Kortedala’s “A Postcard to Nina.” More
The Cherry Trees Are Still in Blossom Out Now, The Linden Trees Are Still in Blossom Due Out May 4
Apr 27, 2022By Joey Arnone
Swedish singer/songwriter Jens Lekman has announced the rerelease of two albums: 2005’s Oh You’re So Silent Jens, which has been released under the title The Cherry Trees Are Still in Blossom, and 2007’s Night Falls Over Kortedala, which will be rereleased as The Linden Trees Are Still in Blossom. The Cherry Trees… is out now digitally, and The Linden Trees… will receive a digital release on May 4. Both will be released physically on June 3. Lekman has also shared a video for his 2004 single “Maple Leaves.” More
"Our First 100 Days" Will Include a New Song Every Day for the First 100 Days of Donald Trump's Presidency
Mar 29, 2017By Christopher Roberts
“Our First 100 Days” is an anti-President Donald Trump project. The good folks behind the “30 Days, 30 Songs” anti-Trump campaign during the election have teamed up with Secretly Group for “Our First 100 Days.” More
Life Will See You Now Due out February 17 via Secretly Canadian
Feb 07, 2017By Christopher Roberts
Swedish singer/songwriter Jens Lekman is releasing a new album, Life Will See You Now, on February 17 via Secretly Canadian. Previously he shared the album’s first single, the dance-pop gem “What’s That Perfume That You Wear?,” as well as a video for the song. Now he has shared another song from the record, “Evening Prayer.” He has also announced a contest, “Jens Will Loop You Now,” in which he’s asking fans to submit a loop to potentially be used in his live show in return for free tickets. More
"Our First 100 Days" Will Include a New Song Every Day for the First 100 Days of Trump's Presidency
Jan 13, 2017By Christopher Roberts
During the election many indie rock musicians released anti-Donald Trump songs and likely assumed, like many liberals and Hillary Clinton supporters did, that Trump didn’t have a strong chance of winning. More
Life Will See You Now Due out February 17 via Secretly Canadian
Jan 04, 2017By Christopher Roberts
Swedish singer/songwriter Jens Lekman has announced a new album, Life Will See You Now, that’s due for release on February 17 via Secretly Canadian. He’s also shared the album’s first single, the dance-pop gem “What’s That Perfume That You Wear?” More
Issue 59 Also Includes Interviews with The Avalanches, Death Cab for Cutie, The Divine Comedy, Rose Elinor Dougall, Foxygen, Jagwar Ma, Jim Jarmusch, Jens Lekman, Mogwai, My Morning Jacket, The Radio Dept., R.E.M., Savages, Weyes Blood, and Much More
Dec 30, 2016By Christopher Roberts
Under the Radar is excited to announce the full details of our joint Best of 2016 / 15th Anniversary Issue, which is out now digitally via Under the Radar’s app and the magazine app Readly. The print version is about to ship out to subscribers and stores and will be on all newsstands soon (as well as available soon digitally via the magazine apps Zinio and Readbug). The issue celebrates the best albums of 2016, reflects on Under the Radar‘s 15th anniversary and albums released in 2001, looks forward to albums due out in early 2017, and features The Flaming Lips on the cover. There’s also a big article examining how the music industry has changed in the last 15 years and in our Artist Survey section various musicians comment on the music and events of 2016. More
Dates Include Shows in North America, Scandinavia, and U.K.
Nov 10, 2016By Christopher Roberts
Swedish singer/songwriter Jens Lekman hasn’t released a new album since 2012’s I Know What Love Isn’t, but he has just announced some 2017 tour dates and is said to be prepping a new album for release next year. More
The Ghostwriting Project is Part of the Cincinnati Contemporary Art Center
Nov 19, 2015By Christopher Roberts
Swedish singer/songwriter Jens Lekman is a master lyricist and storyteller so it would be quite an honor to have him write a song about you and that’s exactly what’s happened to some lucky fans. Lekman, who hasn’t released an album since 2012 and whose 2007 album Night Falls Over Kortedala is a modern classic, has a new project dubbed “Ghostwriting.”More
Fridays are undoubtedly becoming the best day of the week for Jens Lekman fans, who is respectfully staying true to his commitment of writing a brand new song every week for the rest of 2015. More
While some people overreach with their New Year’s resolutions, inevitably falling short, that hasn’t stopped musical artist Jens Lekman from declaring his own goal will be to write a song a week for the rest of 2015. More
Last night, November 6, 2012, Jens Lekman performed at the Henry Fonda Theatre in Hollywood, CA. Taken By Trees and Big Search opened the show. We sent writer/photographer Laura Studarus down to cover the action. More
Becoming quite the pro at extended-take filming, Jens Lekman has premiered a new one-shot music video for “Become Someone Else’s,” the latest single off Lekman’s new album I Know What Love Isn’t. More
Previously showcasing a live acoustic rendition for the staff of The Guardian, Jens Lekman has come forth with a proper music video for his new album’s title track “I Know What Love Isn’t.” More
Recently debuting a music video for one of his new songs “Erica America,” Jens Lekman stopped by The Guardian‘s studio in London for a special live session of music, wherein the Swedish singer/songwriter performed the title track off his upcoming album I Know What Love Isn’t. More
Poised to release what very well may be one of the year’s best break-up albums with his upcoming full-length I Know What Love Isn’t, singer/songwriter Jens Lekman has debuted an official music video for the record’s lead single “Erica America.” More
Swedish troubadour Jens Lekman stopped by NPR’s Tiny Desk series to break a few hearts, crack a few jokes, and play a few tunes. We have the video. More
While Jens Lekman’s new full-length is still off in the horizon, fans of the lovelorn troubadour have been given a sneak peak of what Lekman calls “what’s not to come.” We have the details of his new EP. More
Issue Includes Interviews with R.E.M., Bright Eyes, The Decemberists, Cut Copy, Jens Lekman, Okkervil River, Panda Bear, Lykke Li, Iron and Wine, Elbow, Duran Duran, Destroyer, and more
And Our Love For Jens Lekman is Bigger Than the World
Jul 28, 2010By Laura Studarus
Our favorite lovelorn troubadour Jens Lekman is back from his self-imposed exile (where, on assumes he was being both lovelorn and musical) with new track “The End of the World is Bigger Than Love.” A song about American elections and a girl, and perspective, it’ll hold us over nicely until his next album. We have the track. More
"Your Arms Around Me" In Drew Barrymore-Directed Flick
Sep 11, 2009By Kyle Lemmon
According to Sterogum, Jens Lekman agreed to give one of his love-weary tunes to the Drew Barrymore-directed movie Whip It. The comedy aims to revive the alternative extreme sport of roller derby and tells a athletic love story set in the small town of Bodeen, Texas. Think of a folksier (and possibly less annoying) Breaking Away, Blue Crush, Bring It On. More
Paul Banks, Wayne Coyne, Kevin Drew, Black Francis, Ben Gibbard, Jens Lekman, Murray Lightburn, Colin Meloy, Nina Persson, Laetitia Sadier, and More on Indie Rock's Identity Crisis
Mar 20, 2017By Matt Fink
In 2001, when Under the Radar‘s first issue was released, the music industry had reached a transitional moment. In January, Apple introduced its iTunes program to the world, laying the groundwork to forever change how listeners interfaced with their music. More
In 2014, Jens Lekman was an artist in crisis. He had spent the year working on a nearly-finished album that “sounded like crap,” he had a wicked case of writer’s block, and he was starting to doubt that he even should be making music at all. He decided to throw the songs away and start over. More
Way back in the blog-dominated indie rock world of 2005 when a Pitchfork review could make or break a new artist, Swedish singer-songwriter Jens Lekman released Oh You’re So Silent Jens, a compilation that brought together his incredible early EPs such as Maple Leaves, I Killed a Party Again, Rocky Dennis, and Julie along with compilation appearances and other odds and ends. More
On a beautiful night in late May, Jens Lekman played one of the most enjoyable shows I’ve seen in recent years, at Music Hall of Williamsburg in Brooklyn, NY. More
Walking through the field on the second day of OFF Festival, I was faced with a large group of teenagers, sprinting towards me and singing a chipper refrain from Zbigniew Wodecki’s triumphant performance the previous evening. It was a heartwarming moment. After all, isn’t that the point of heading to a festival in another country?More
Whether singing over schmaltzy disco beats or lovely strings, Jens Lekman could always be counted on for a good time. Few lyricists have his ability to mix drama and humor, and few songwriters could match his way with dynamic song structures. I Know What Love Isn’t is a breakup record, and though it still aches with hope, it strips Lekman of his greatest strengths.More
A dark night. An empty graveyard. A vampire-like Masonic lodge. Random bursts of smoke on stage. And…Jens Lekman. Very little made sense about the setting for Lekman’s first show in support of newly released EP, An Argument With Myself. But as per usual, that didn’t stop the Swedish troubadour from redefining charming over the course of his fifteen-song set.More
As opening comedian Tig Notaro helpfully pointed out, the crowd gathered poolside at the Hollywood’s SkyBar at the Mondrian Hotel wasn’t comprised of their average weekend clientele. “This is where we all go to meet our friends on Saturday night, right?” she asked, gesturing the bevy of fish-out-of-water hipsters. Chalk it up to the powers of Jens Lekman—his fans will follow him anywhere, even into the steamy under-belly of Los Angeles posh nightlife. More
“I have a naïve request,” said Swedish troubadour Jens Lekman, looking down at group of adoring Los Angelinos after a years’ absence from the city. “You can record and take video all you want, but please don’t post it on the Internet. I want this to be special…just between you and me.” More
