It's no secret that some of the best pop music these days is coming from Scandinavia, especially Sweden and Norway. And to our ears, no one captures the moment quite like Swede Jens Lekman.

A hip crooner with a penchant for sampling in '60s soul, Bacharach, and disco, Lekman writes memorable, restless melodies that feature unexpected breaks in tone and tempo, mixing genuine emotion with splashes of kitsch. That goes for his lyrics, too, which are musical short stories, love stories mostly, that often start in one place and end in quite another. He has a lovely way with words, and an idiosyncratic sense of humor.

Lekman's new album, Night Falls Over Kortedala, is his strongest effort yet.