Years ago, I found out about the young singer with an unusual name.
I was not very impressed withYouth Novels after the initial listen but had a feeling there was something to her judging by how often I came across her name.
A colleague told me that her live performances were off the hook. When the opportunity came to see her at Montreal's Club Soda. I took it in the hopes of learning what the big deal about Lykke Li was.
Both the crowd and myself were anticipating her arrival on stage. I was very eager to experience what was to come. I was not all that familiar with the music and used the crowd reactions to get an understanding of what could be important tracks. Within a short period of time, I went from an observer to a participant and contemplated moving closer to the action.
The crowd was energetic and receptive to Lykke Li. Club Soda seems to provide the ideal climate for performers and audience. Her energy and presence seemed to fuel the crowd. The energy and anticipation was so high that the crowd exploded into applause before the song's end on many occasions.
As mentioned before, certain tracks off her Youth Novels CD created more reaction than others. In the midst of one of the songs, a young lady told me we were grooving to Breaking It Up after I asked her. Complaint Department needed no consultation and caused the most damage upon impact.
At the end of the show, the crowd naturally wanted an encore and it seemed highly doubtful there would be one. Magically, the four performers returned to the stage for a final number. There was something bittersweet when they took the stage. The bittersweet feeling was expressed in the final song of the night. She and the band did a stripped down cover of A Tribe Called Quest's Can I Kick It. I was touched she returned to the stage and of all songs to cover, she chose that one.
Follow the example by checking out the CDs and her live performance whenever possible.
