We all know Sweden produces great pop music even more frequently than it produces flat-pack furniture. There’s clearly something in the frozen water ‘round them parts. However, with a childhood spent in Portugal, Morocco, Nepal and India, it seems perhaps Lykke Li has more than her homeland to thank for shaping her music. This said, although ‘Little Bit’ opens with steel drums, it’s perhaps New York, the city where her debut album was recorded, that has had the biggest influence. Growing up on a mountaintop in Portugal, the only music available to her was Madonna's 'Immaculate Collection', on cassette, and the most obvious musical reference throughout ‘Little Bit’ is another NYC pop princess, Cyndi Lauper.
As well as featuring the vastly underused and underrated steel drums, ‘Little Bit’ also features some interesting lyrics. “It’s for you I keep my legs apart”, she lusts breathlessly, “’Cos I would give anything to have you as my man”. So it would seem.
It’s a fantastic pop song, one which could sit proudly amongst Madonna’s greatest work, as well as anything that Lauper produced. Alongside echoes of another female pop great Kate Bush, there is also a feel for contemporaries such Feist, Bjork and Bat For Lashes, and even a little Vanessa Paradis.
Big things are expected of Lykke Li, and the signs are that her debut album could well live up to the brilliance of this track (The previously released 'I'm Good I'm Gone' and the fantastic ‘Tonight’ are perhaps even better), especially given a roll call that includes fellow Swedish pop pixie Robyn, Adam Olenius and Bebban Stenborg of Shout Out Louds and Bjorn Yttling, who produces this track, the rest of the EP and indeed the full album, of Peter Bjorn and John.
She’s good, and on this evidence we’ll be sorry when she’s gone.
![Lykke Li - Little Bit [Single]](http://hangout.altsounds.com/geek/gars/images/4/0/3/0/lykkeli-large1.jpg "Lykke Li - Little Bit [Single]")
