For some reason, Jens Lekman has been lifting my spirits of late in the deep February cold and rain. Every day in work, when I get a few minutes to myself, I always flip on his 2005 compilation Oh You’re So Silent Jens and it gives me as much pep as a few sips of coffee… and when you actually also have a few sips of the joe too, the two j’s make everything OK.

Oh You’re So Silent Jens brings together a whole bunch of Lekman’s tracks from Julie, Maple Leaves, and Rocky Dennis in Heaven, among others like the Accelerator Compilation. Every track on this record is addictive and imbued with delicious Swedish pop, but my absolute favorite is “A Sweet Summer’s Night on Hammerhill” because it brilliantly samples 1964’s “Remember (Walkin’ in the Sand” by The Shangri-Las.

Heaven, Shagri-la, whatever, certainly, indeed.

Recently, Jens has delivered guest vocals to Tracey Thorn’s latest record, Love and Its Opposite (the record also features Al Doyle of Hot Chip), on a cover duet of Lee Hazelwood’s “Come on Home To Me”.

It’s nearly the weekend kitties, so perhaps you want a bit of that heaven and dreams of summertime around the corner. Pep it up.

[Jens Lekman – A Sweet Summer’s Night on Hammerhill.]