Lykke Li, 'Youth Novels'

Backstory: Yet another Swedish merge of saccharine pop and dance music, Lykke Li Zachrisson's "Youth Novels" nevertheless boasts angular charm that can border on the brain teasing. Maybe it's her artistic parents, or the stripped-down but challenging production from Peter Bjorn and John's Bjorn Yttling, who also co-wrote the tracks. But whatever it is, Li's debut isn't disposable dance pap, but bizarro pop that echoes Moloko's early era as much as Nico's broken heart.

Why you should care: Li's but 22, and with only the 2007 EP "Little Bit" beneath her belt, she's got a nice career ahead of her if she sticks the landing. From the jilted smackdown of "I'm Good I'm Gone" to the broken sax solo on "Dance, Dance, Dance," "Youth Novels" is easy on the ears and cute on the brain, especially on the Tom Tom Club funk of "Let It Fall."

Verdict: "Youth Novels" is aptly named, filled as it is with drama and lust. The opener "Melodies and Desires" is a poetic how-to manual on love, set to raindrop piano and subdued orchestration. The literate, subtle thump of "Window Blues" builds to a climax that never arrives. Li channels David Lynch, adopting a Julee Cruise whisper through the creepy "Time Flies." "My Love" is a deranged anthem, backed by neurotic horns and strings, that deserves psychoanalysis.

X-Factor: Li was a once dancer on Swedish television, and booked her first U.S. performances in New York City by claiming to be a star overseas (she wasn’t).

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