January 20, 2006 | Posted by David B. at 12:37 PM

Oh, the joy, the joy!

photo

A couple months ago, us Robots were throwing around ideas for our 1000th post. Do we commemorate it with an especially important song? Do we recount our favorite songs we've posted over the past year? We ended up going with the former, but the latter stayed with me. What would be my favorite track we've ever posted? Of other peoples' posts, I'd have to go with Mark's post of Hot Pants back in November 2004. Of mine, I can say without hesitation that few tracks have brought me as much pure pleasure as this one:

Jens Lekman - Black Cab.

Also on the Secretly Canadian site is his track You Are the Light, from his record When I Said I Wanted To Be Your Dog.
We generally don't like re-posting, but I thought I'd throw this one out there again because Lekman, one of those soft-spoken Scandinavians who does great pop, just put out a new compilation called Oh You're So Silent Jens. Black Cab is the centerpiece of this compilation and of its original home, the Maple Leaves EP.

I could go into what I love about this track, because I usually enumerate those in long, boring lists. I won't this time, because why bother? Everything's here, in this one little package, and it's just one of those tracks that brings joy. I'm sure there are people out there who don't like this song, but I honestly can't imagine how.

You can pick up Oh You're So Silent Jens - easily one of the best of 2005 - from Insound.

Comments

You're absolutely right David, this track is amazing, as is most of Jens' work. I like how there always seems to be a sense of melancholy in his songs, perhaps because of that deadpan voice.

Posted by: Cameron at January 20, 2006 1:31 PM

Any way for us to download the Hot Pants song?

Posted by: Mattly at January 20, 2006 3:01 PM

not to mention the cover art is off the hook!

Posted by: ryan at January 20, 2006 5:41 PM

This has become one of my all-time favorite pop songs. Oh, the joy of hearing the audience sing along with the chrous when I saw Jens a couple of months ago...

Posted by: angryrobot at January 20, 2006 5:50 PM

This song has subtle R.E.M. qualities about it.

Posted by: Musicisnotdead at January 21, 2006 2:05 PM

This track is gorgeous! Thanks. One question, though: Is the opening melody a sample of "I've Got Something On My Mind" by The Left Banke, or maybe just borrowed?

Posted by: Gary at January 21, 2006 6:59 PM

this is definitley my favourite jens song. but really - all of his material is pure gold. it's definitly my favourite release of 2005, even though it is a compilation.

i'm seeing him perform on a boat cruise in sydney very soon. yay! :D

Posted by: richard mf at January 23, 2006 1:46 AM

hmmm...the lyrics are a bit on the angsty side for my liking. But what the hey, 'tis but a minor gripe.

Posted by: The Last Rolo in Town at January 24, 2006 3:29 PM

I've been playing this track nonstop since well before Christmas - it really lodges itself into your brain.
There are definite echoes of Stephen Merritt in there, whose 69 songs set I must check out again.

Posted by: cswann at January 26, 2006 6:07 AM
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