Jens Lekman and the wind.

Over the last few days, it's been beyond cold outside. I can feel myself slipping into a cold, but for some reason, I haven't quite fallen face first into it yet. It's been about a week of waiting for something to happen; it feels an awful lot like this:



You know what's coming, but you just can't wait to jump out of the theater seat, screaming, "OH HELL NO YOU BETTER GET OUT OF THERE."

It's actually been beyond cold; the wind is getting a bit ridiculous. I can usually survive most of the cold weather we get in Los Angeles, but these last few days have just made me want to stay inside. I know that if I go outside and especially if I go to the gym, I'm asking to get sick. It's just going to push me a little too far, however, I don't really feel like doing anything else. I sit in my apartment, essentially doing nothing. Over the last few days, I've been somewhat busy, but every time I'm here, it seems like I'm here alone, making me think that I'm not actually that busy.

The other day, as I was sitting in my room, avoiding the cold, I was looking for something new to listen to and came across something I'd never seen before: An EP for "The Opposite of Hallelujah." I thought of myself as (at least) moderately knowledged when it came to all things Jens Lekman, yet somehow I let this one slip past me. Apparently, the EP came out in 2005, which means that one of the best Jens Lekman songs has been floating around almost as long as he's been on my radar without me knowing about it. The version of the song included on the EP is very similar to the album version, however, a skilled ear will hear that this version is a bit closer to the version Jens plays live. The bassline is a bit more pronounced, the harmony vocals are much more prominent, there's a really great string bit that got cut from the album version and Jens' stumbling vocal meter during the second pre-chorus is just beautiful.

Side note: the attached video isn't for one of the songs on the EP, but for the song that I've recently come to appreciate more off of Night Falls Over Kortedala, "Your Arms Around Me." You can't tell from just watching the video, but if you listen very closely, you'll be able to tell that someone that isn't in Jens' live band is playing the string part in the song; Owen Pallett of Final Fantasy always manages to bring something special to songs that don't even need the help.

Check out the EP; not only is there a great version of one of last year's best songs, but there are three other b-sides that never really made it out of the vault. All of the b-sides have that classic Jens Lekman sheen that seemed a bit more prevalent on the singles collection (Oh, You're So Silent Jens). "I Don't Want To Die Alone" is particularly great; you'd think that I only like it for one reason (the title makes it sound like a Morrissey song), but the song is so much more; it really showcases the transition between Jens' older material and his 2007 masterpiece.

The Opposite of Hallelujah EP