WHEN I SAID I WANTED TO BE YOUR DOG

Call it a curse: Jens Lekman’s world is populated by an endless stream of women. There he is, his hair mussed and glasses off-kilter, sitting in the corner of the cafe with his journal once again – and he’s being torn in two. Moments ago he fell in love with the redheaded barista who nailed his order – when she scooted that cappuccino across the counter, it was clear that there was a connection. And now, his eye catches the picture of divinity in the shape of the most finely featured brunette he’s ever seen...and she’s looking his way. But which way to go? It’s tragic having to make such choices. Like Fellini’s The Man Who Loved Women, Jens Lekman is a man forever at a crossroads between competing inspirations.

At only 23, Lekman has deservedly been the center of much hype in Scandinavia. Having made a name for himself performing under the name Rocky Dennis, he recently hit #2 on the Swedish National Pop Charts. Most everyone who’s heard him believes him to be the next great pop star emerging from the streets of the DIY underground. With an angelic voice and golden ears he seems to be drinking from the same hard waters as The Carpenters, Harry Nilsson, The Magnetic Fields, Runt-era Todd Rundgren, Bill Callahan’s Smog, The Modern Lovers, Rufus Wainwright and Belle & Sebastian.