Youth Novels (Import)

IMPORT. Exuding the kind of ambition and open defiance of convention that could only come from an artist just barely out of her teens, Youth Novels, while not without its share of bumps, is an extraordinary first album. With famed Swedish pop producer Lasse Marten assisting (the guy behind Kelly Clarkson's ingenious mainstream-to-indie poptimist crossover smash "Since U Been Gone"), Lykke Li and Yttling have created a surprisingly stark-sounding album, an enticing blend of Robyn's unpretentious dance-pop and El Perro del Mar's introspection and tenderness. For a record whose thematic center is the hormonally-enhanced, bipolar passion of one's teenage years, it's remarkably mature-sounding. -popmatters.com