Lykke Li

Lykke Li may seem like just another Scandinavian pop-star. But lumping the 22-year-old in with Annie, Robyn, or any other blond with a penchant for bubbly hooks would be doing her music an injustice. Her debut album, Youth Novels--released overseas in January and in August here in the States--recreates pop's familiar pleasures with few of its customary tools. There's Theremin, celesta, kazoo, harpsichord, buzzing synths, a stray trumpet, a few handclaps--all bent in service of Lykke's youthful tales of heartache and redemption. The record's lead-single, "Little Bit," is a stunning example of Lykke's thrift-store pop.

A couple days after her sold-out CMJ show at the Bowery Ballroom (her next performance in town is at Webster Hall on Feb.  read more »

This time next week Lower Manhattan, Brooklyn and a decent section of midtown will be swarming with all manner of scraggly young men and women hoping to break a few strings, drink a couple beers and sign a couple record contracts. That's right, CMJ is coming to town. Beginning next Tuesday, Oct. 21, and over the following four days, the city’s best venues and a few you’ve never heard of (Red Bull Space?) will host their own CMJ parties with scads of hungry young bands from across the country (well, mostly Brooklyn) playing long into the night.

Should you care to venture out into the madness, we’ve put together a handy best-of list for each night.  read more »

On Sunday, September 7, the Moeller Snow gallery space on Bond street played host to a group of young, playfully disheveled, downtown types who had gathered there to hear the Swedish indie singer, Lykke Li perform, an event that was thrown together by Justin Kern of the Los Angeles-based boutique and event space, Not To Be Reproduced.

While guests like designer Erin Wasson and stylist Anastasia Barbieri awaited Ms. Li's performance, actress Kirsten Dunst arrived with Scott Sternberg, the designer behind Band of Outsiders for whose Saturday evening show Ms. Dunst was a model. This appearance was hardly unusual for the actress, who has become a regular at these sorts of events.  read more »