Youth Novels Explained

Youth Novels
Type:	studio
Artist:	Lykke Li
Cover:	Lykke Li - Youth Novels.png
Studio:	Atlantis, Decibel and Högalid (Stockholm, Sweden)
Genre:	Indie pop^[1] synth-pop^[2]
Length:	44:49
Label:	LL
Producer:	Björn Yttling
Next Title:	Wounded Rhymes
Next Year:	2011

Youth Novels is the debut studio album by Swedish singer and songwriter Lykke Li, released on 30 January 2008 on her own label, the EMI-distributed LL Recordings. The album was entirely produced by Björn Yttling of Swedish indie pop band Peter Bjorn and John and co-produced by Lasse Mårtén. Youth Novels spawned four singles: "Little Bit", "I'm Good, I'm Gone", "Breaking It Up" and "Tonight".

Critical reception

Youth Novels received generally positive reviews from music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalised rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream publications, the album received an average score of 75, based on 27 reviews.^[3] Alex Denney of Drowned in Sound praised the album as "a twinkle-toed debut that dares to suggest what others can only make tediously plain, and leaves us in the rarely-enjoyed position of actually wanting more."^[4] PopMatters's Adrien Begrand called it "extraordinary" and described it as "a surprisingly stark-sounding album, an enticing blend of Robyn's unpretentious dance-pop and El Perro del Mar's introspection and tenderness."^[5] The Times critic Tom Gatti noted that Yttling gave Youth Novels the same treatment as to Peter Bjorn and John's song "Young Folks", stating that he "[weaves] Lykke Li's girlish, wistful songs of young love and loss into bright pocket symphonies."^[6]

In a review for The A.V. Club, Vadim Rizov characterised Youth Novels as "all teasing and heartbreak, with production [...] that plays on empty spaces as much as well-chosen backing", commending Li for "adeptly [straddling] the line between instant gratification and minimalist smarts."^[7] Killian Fox of The Observer commented that "[t]he coquettish charm of [Li's] voice, tinged with shyness, is brilliantly offset by Björn Yttling's skeletal productions, which create great pop momentum out of the slightest effects", concluding, "The lyrics lack focus at times but this is a winning debut."^[8] Greg Cochrane of NME called the album "[s]imple but sensational".^[9] K. Ross Hoffman of AllMusic wrote, "Brimming with ideas but understated, even tentative in executing them, and big on hooks but nervously intimate in presentation, Youth Novels is a curious, decidedly unorthodox but endearing record."^[10]

Joe Gross of Spin stated that "[Li's] voice is mousy, the low end juicy, the melodies sketchy, the choruses huge", but found that "[s]he should lose the spoken-word bits, though; they don't even work for her goddess Madonna."^[11] Tom Ewing of Pitchfork expressed, "At its frequent best, the record manages to sketch out widescreen hit songs with a remarkable economy of means. At its more occasional worst, the tracks feel frustratingly underthought."^[12] Will Hermes of Rolling Stone felt that Li's "frosty squeak is a limited instrument, but she works it, mixing adorable playground scats with spoken-word whispers and parched coos that barely sketch her sugary melodies. The arrangements also dress simple tunes in surprising ways, with odd choral bits and percolating percussion webs that should tease movement from even reluctant hips."^[13] The Guardians Maddy Costa opined that the song "Tonight" "shows what she is capable of: underscored by a melancholy piano, she is darkly seductive", but "[a]fter that has passed, the album just gets increasingly cloying."^[14]

Accolades

Youth Novels earned Li five nominations for the 2009 Swedish Grammis, including Album of the Year, Female Artist of the Year, Live Act of the Year, Composer of the Year (with Yttling) and Lyricist of the Year.^[15] The same year, she won the P3 Guld award for Newcomer of the Year and was nominated for Pop Artist of the Year.^[16]

Year-end lists for Youth Novels

Publication	Accolade	Rank
Complex	The 100 Best Albums of The Complex Decade	54	^[17]
Consequence of Sound	The Top 100 Albums (2008)	41	^[18]
Drowned in Sound	50 Albums of 2008	41	^[19]
musicOMH	Top 50 Best Albums of 2008	30	^[20]
NME	Top 50 Albums of 2008	44	^[21]
Paste	Top 50 Albums of 2008	46	^[22]
Pitchfork	The 50 Best Albums of 2008	45	^[23]
PopMatters	The Best Albums of 2008	40	^[24]
Q	The 50 Best Albums of 2008	37	^[25]
Spin	The 40 Best Albums of 2008	36	^[26]
	The 100 Best Pop Albums of the Noughties	97	^[27]
	Pazz & Jop 2008	81	^[28]

Commercial performance

In Li's native Sweden, Youth Novels debuted and peaked at number three on the Swedish Albums Chart for the week of 7 February 2008, behind Johnny Logan & Friends' The Irish Connection and Van Morrison's Still on Top – The Greatest Hits.^[29] It spent 20 non-consecutive weeks altogether on the chart, including four re-entries in 2008 and one on 30 January 2009. The album charted for a sole week in both the United Kingdom and Ireland, reaching numbers 112 and 75, respectively.

In continental Europe, Youth Novels reached number 36 in Norway, number 56 in Belgium, number 75 in the Netherlands and number 143 in France. It also peaked at number 18 on Billboards Top Heatseekers in the United States, and at number seven on the ARIA Hitseekers chart in Australia. As of April 2014, the album had sold 106,000 copies in the United States.^[30]

Personnel

Credits adapted from the liner notes of Youth Novels.^[31]

Musicians

• Lykke Li – vocals
  • • Björn Yttling – piano ; synthesizer ; acoustic guitar ; celeste ; vibraphone ; backing vocals ; snare ; electric bass ; percussion ; drums ; harpsichord ; string arrangement ; keyboards, mandolin ; foot stomp ; rocksichord Walter Sear – theremin Per "Ruskträsk" Johansson – saxophone ; flute
    • John Eriksson – percussion ; drums ; cymbal ; Mellotron Lars Skoglund – drums ; percussion ; hi-hat Mapei – backing vocals
• Lissy Trullie – backing vocals
• Johan "Zilverzurfarn" Zachrisson – acoustic guitar, foot stomp
• Dylan Von Wagner – backing vocals
• Peter Morén – backing vocals
• Andreas Forsman – violin
• Erik Arvinder – violin
• Erik Holm – viola
• Henrik Söderquist – cello
• Markus Ollikainen – trumpet
• Neil Lipuma – tambourine
• The Suzan – backing vocals
• Lasse Mårtén – percussion

Technical

• Björn Yttling – production, recording, mixing
• Lasse Mårtén – co-production, recording, additional recordings, mixing
• Janne Hansson – recording
• Matt Azzarto – additional recordings
• Bil Emmons – additional recordings
• Tommy Andersson – engineering assistance
• Tom Gloady – engineering assistance
• Neil Lipuma – engineering assistance
• Henrik Jonsson – mastering

Artwork

• Sandberg&Timonen – artwork
• Marcus Palmqvist – photography

International edition

• Björn Yttling – electric bass, piano ; rocksichord, celeste, organ, percussion ; flute, trumpet
• Lars Skoglund – cowbell ; drums
• Per "Ruskträsk" Johansson – flute
• John Eriksson – percussion

Charts

Weekly charts

Weekly chart performance for Youth Novels

Chart (2008–2009)	Peak position
Australian Hitseekers Albums (ARIA)^[32]	7
UK Albums (OCC)^[33]	112

Year-end charts

Release history

Release history for Youth Novels

Region	Date	Label
Sweden	30 January 2008	LL	^[35]
Ireland	6 June 2008	Atlantic	^[36]
United Kingdom	9 June 2008		^[37]
Netherlands	15 August 2008	Warner	^[38]
United States	19 August 2008	Atlantic	^[39]
Australia	5 September 2008	Warner	^[40]
France	29 September 2008		^[41]

Notes and References

1. Web site: Monger . Timothy . I Never Learn – Lykke Li . . 21 May 2016.
2. Web site: Liedel . Kevin . Review: Lykke Li, I Never Learn . . 3 May 2014 . 17 April 2021.
3. Web site: Youth Novels by Lykke Li Reviews and Tracks . . 17 April 2021.
4. Web site: Denney . Alex . Lykke Li – Youth Novels . . 5 June 2008 . 2 January 2011 . 30 August 2012 . https://web.archive.org/web/20120830015639/http://drownedinsound.com/releases/13298/reviews/3421034-lykke-li-youth-novels . dead .
5. Web site: Begrand . Adrien . Lykke Li: Youth Novels . . 26 March 2008 . 23 July 2016 . https://web.archive.org/web/20140408115329/http://www.popmatters.com/review/lykke-li-youth-novels/ . 8 April 2014.
6. Web site: Gatti . Tom . Lykke Li: Youth Novels . . 7 June 2008 . 2 January 2011 . https://archive.today/20110615210452/http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/music/cd_reviews/article4059186.ece . 15 June 2011.
7. Web site: Rizov . Vadim . Lykke Li: Youth Novels . . 25 August 2008 . 17 April 2021.
8. Web site: Fox . Killian . Reviews 11–25 . . 18 May 2008 . 23 July 2016.
9. Web site: Cochrane . Greg . Lykke Li – Youth Novels . . 6 June 2008 . 2 January 2011 . https://web.archive.org/web/20130524053152/http://www.nme.com/reviews/lykke-li/9744 . May 24, 2013.
10. Web site: Hoffman . K. Ross . Youth Novels – Lykke Li . AllMusic . 23 July 2012.
11. Web site: Gross . Joe . Lykke Li, 'Youth Novels' . Spin . 18 August 2008 . https://web.archive.org/web/20110316015229/http://www.spin.com/reviews/lykke-li-youth-novels-ll . 16 March 2011 . 2 January 2011.
12. Web site: Ewing . Tom . Lykke Li: Youth Novels . . 3 June 2008 . 2 January 2011.
13. Hermes . Will . Youth Novels : Lykke Li . . 21 August 2008 . 2 January 2011 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20090429082830/http://rollingstone.com/reviews/album/22190049/review/22209192/youth_novels . 29 April 2009.
14. Web site: Costa . Maddy . Lykke Li, Youth Novels . . 30 May 2008 . 23 July 2016.
15. News: De kan få en Grammis i år . They can get a Grammis this year . . sv . 26 November 2008 . 17 April 2021.
16. News: Alla vinnare och nominerade artister 2009 . Sveriges Radio . All winners and nominees of 2009 . sv . . 3 December 2008 . 17 April 2021.
17. Web site: The 100 Best Albums of The Complex Decade . . 2 April 2012 . 23 July 2016.
18. Web site: Roffman . Michael . CoS Year-End Report: The Top 100 Albums: #50 – #26 . . 17 December 2008 . 23 July 2016.
19. Web site: Adams . Sean . Drowned in Sound's 50 albums of 2008 . Drowned in Sound . 11 December 2008 . 3 January 2011 . https://web.archive.org/web/20110824034442/http://drownedinsound.com/in_depth/4135939 . 24 August 2011.
20. Web site: musicOMH's Top 50 Best Albums Of 2008: 30–21 . . 2 August 2008 . 23 July 2016.
21. Web site: Albums & Tracks of the Year . NME . 23 July 2016 . https://web.archive.org/web/20160304113630/http://www.nme.com/bestalbumsandtracksoftheyear/2008 . 4 March 2016.
22. Web site: Signs of Life 2008: Best Music . . 21 November 2008 . 3 January 2011.
23. Web site: The 50 Best Albums of 2008 . Pitchfork . 19 December 2008 . 23 July 2016.
24. Web site: The Best Albums of 2008 . PopMatters . 19 December 2008 . 23 July 2016.
25. Web site: The 50 Best Albums of 2008 . . January 2009 . 22 January 2011 . https://web.archive.org/web/20110811043551/http://www.qthemusic.com/cgi-bin/50bestalbums/month.pl?id=2 . 11 August 2011.
26. Web site: The 40 Best Albums of 2008 . Spin . 11 December 2008 . https://web.archive.org/web/20110617113245/https://www.spin.com/2008/12/40-best-albums-2008/ . 17 June 2011 . 3 January 2011.
27. Web site: The 100 best pop albums of the Noughties . The Times . 21 November 2009 . 23 July 2016 . https://web.archive.org/web/20110615202552/http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/music/article6922991.ece . 15 June 2011.
28. Web site: Pazz+Jop 2008: Albums Winners . . 23 July 2016.
29. Web site: Sverigetopplistan – Albums Top 60 . swedishcharts.com . 7 February 2008 . 6 January 2011.
30. Lipshutz . Jason . Lykke Li's Wounded New Album: 'I Only Thought I Knew What Heartbreak Was Until This Record' . . 22 April 2014 . 28 April 2014.
31. Youth Novels . . 2008 . UK edition liner notes . . 5144282482.
32. ARIA Hitseekers – Week Commencing 19th January 2009 . https://webarchive.nla.gov.au/awa/20090126232836/http://pandora.nla.gov.au/pan/23790/20090120-0000/issue986.pdf . dead . 2009-01-26 . . 986 . 19 January 2009 . 21 . 17 April 2021 . National Library of Australia.
33. Web site: Chart Log UK (1994–2008): DJ Steve L. – LZ Love . Zobbel.de . 2 January 2011.
34. Web site: Årslista Album – År 2008 . . 23 July 2016 . https://web.archive.org/web/20160812040625/http://www.sverigetopplistan.se/netdata/ghl002.mbr/lista?liid=83&dfom=20080001&navi=no . 12 August 2016.
35. Web site: Lykke Li : Youth Novel (CD) . Ginza.se . sv . 2 January 2011 . https://web.archive.org/web/20110616020620/http://www.ginza.se/Product/Product.aspx?Identifier=696487 . 16 June 2011.
36. Web site: Youth Novels – Bjorn Yttling (CD) . . 23 July 2016 . https://web.archive.org/web/20160723031325/http://www.hmv.ie/Youth-Novels/movies-games-entertainment/pd/65594 . 23 July 2016.
37. Web site: Lykke Li: Youth Novels . . 2 January 2011 . https://web.archive.org/web/20120927055817/http://hmv.com/hmvweb/displayProductDetails.do?ctx=280;1;-1;-1;-1&sku=782883 . 27 September 2012.
38. Web site: Youth Novels, Lykke Li . bol.com . nl . 23 July 2016.
39. Web site: Youth Novels . . United States . 23 July 2016.
40. Web site: Youth Novels – Lykke Li . . 2 January 2011 . https://web.archive.org/web/20120429100741/http://www.jbhifionline.com.au/music/pop-rock/youth-novels/343668 . 29 April 2012.
41. Web site: Youth Novels . Amazon . fr . France . 23 July 2016.