Jens Lekman @ Terminal 5, 10/8/12
There was only a small audience at Terminal 5 on this brisk October evening as singer-songwriter Jens Lekman brought his tour over from Sweden. Instead of the turnout being a detraction, an intimate gathering was had in the normally raucous venue as he spun his tales of love and romance. Jens is known a bit as a story teller, and live his songs truly come to life.
Jens Lekman is celebrating the release of his latest album, I Know What Love Isn’t. There was a five year gap between that and his last full length, a fact he lamented for the audience. Speaking of fives, that’s also the live band’s size. He’s supported on stage with pianos, violin, bass and drums.
One would expect given this kind of indie pop that it wouldn’t really be a fun show, but that’s totally a misconception there. Jens Lekman has a lot of upbeat music, which given a fuller venue and it not being a Monday, probably would have had way more sets of feet moving. He and his band just radiate good vibes, despite the subject material occasionally veering to the melancholy. Jens’s aforementioned stories that accompany a lot of his music really set a lighter tone.
Also from Sweden was Taken By Trees, an electronics oriented group and our sole support this evening. They had an odd presence. I’m not sure if their awkwardness was intentional, but in the end they delivered with some really chill, nature-tinged tunes. It’s purely down tempo; the emphasis all the more highlighted with the group requesting the lights dimmed multiple times. I don’t mind the singer being a little spacey when the end result’s good.