Stuff from the Shelf: ‘An Argument With Myself’ makes the ordinary, extraordinary

The cabinets near the Arts & Entertainment desk are cluttered with CDs, DVDs, books and various press copies sent to us by generous promoters. Most of it, unfortunately, has never gone on to receive attention by our staff – until now. Stuff from the Shelf is a feature that explores the stacks of forgotten media, hoping to find a rare gem in the rough.

Jens Lekman is a storyteller, one that has perfected the paradoxical art of telling incredibly mundane stories in the most imaginative way.

Instead of writing vaguegeneric songs about discovering the beauty of true love or experiencing gut-wrenching heartbreak, Lekman would rather write songs about this one weird guy in his office. The banal, however, proves to be surprisingly refreshing, and equally romantic, in the singer-songwriter’s 2011 EP, “An Argument With Myself.”

Lekman, a Swedish musician whose musical style is often likened to that of Belle and Sebastian and Paul Simon, released his first successful EP, “Rocky Dennis in Heaven,” in 2004. Lekman has released four full-length albums and several other EPs and has gained popular recognition in Sweden, yet he remains relatively underrated with American audiences.

The first and title track, “An Argument With Myself,” is arguably the strongest of the five on the album, beginning unexpectedly with bright Afro-Caribbean beats juxtaposed with Lekman’s wistful vocals. As the song progresses, the lyrics transform into a literal stream of consciousness-style argument: “OK, you wanna keep fighting?/ Yeah, I wanna keep fighting/ Alright, fair enough.”

The following track, “Waiting for Kirsten,” continues the storytelling structure of Lekman’s songs with a tale oddly about himself desperately trying to track down movie star Kirsten Dunst.

He searches the nightclubs for her until he realizes that the lack of VIP lines in the Swedish town of Gothenburg prevents her from getting into any of them. He then ends his song hopelessly waiting outside her hotel, sadly attempting to write her a love letter: “And write a note of affection, and leave it in the reception/ … on the back of our receipt./ But the receptionist said I was drunk and asked me to leave.”

While not every song’s subject matter has to do with something as peculiar as stalking Kirsten Dunst, the lyrics consistently have a bit of an unstable quality to them.

In the song “New Directions,” Lekman begins with a bland list of directions, goes on to express his disconnect with his so-called friends and ends with getting on a bus and leaving town: “Your left hand wrapped round a mint pastille/ Your right hand wrapped round a milk-white stone/ From this point you will never be alone.”

Over the course of the entire EP, the sound of each individual song differs vastly, from the inclusion of delightfully corny horns in “New Directions” to what could possibly be pan flutes in “So This Guy At My Office”, a song where Lekman bleakly croons, “Who cares about me?/ My day starts when you get here/ And ends when you leave.”

Although each song brings a different quality to the EP, Lekman’s multifaceted voice repeatedly expresses a combination of reflective melancholy and playful humor, making “An Argument With Myself” a truly extraordinary piece that documents the completely ordinary.